ASTRONOMY. 



THE AURORA BOREALIS. 



In northern countries the aurora borealis is constantly visible during 

 the winter evenings, and is frequently termed, from this circumstance, 

 the northern lights. When they appear in this county, it is generally 

 during the spring and autumn, but very rarely with that splendour which 

 distinguishes them, when seen near the North Pole. The most remark- 

 able appearance of them in England took place about thirty years ago, of 

 which a very accurate description has been given by Dr. Dalton j and as 

 this will give our readers a very good idea of the phenomena, we qoute 

 from it. He says, his attention was first excited by a remarkable red 

 appearance of the clouds, which afforded sufficient light to read by at 

 eight o'clock in the evening, though there was no moon; 



" From half-past nine o'clock till ten P.M., there was a large, luminous, 

 horizontal arch to the southward, almost exactly like those we see in the 

 north; and there was one or more concentric arches northward. It was 

 particularly noticed, that all the arches seemed exactly bisected by the 

 plane of the magnetic meridian. At half-past ten o'clock, streamers 

 appeared very low in the S.E., running to and fro, from W. to E.; they 

 increased in number, and began to approach the zenith, apparently with 

 an accelerated velocity ; when all on a sudden the whole hemisphere was 

 covered with them, and exhibited such an appearance as surpasses all 

 description. The intensity of the light, the prodigious number and 

 volatility of the beams, the grand intermixture of all the prismatic colours 

 in their utmost splendour, variegating the glowing canopy with the most 

 luxuriant and enchanting scenery, affording an awful, but at the same 

 time the most pleasing and sublime spectacle in nature. Every one 

 gazed with astonishment ; but the uncommon grandeur of the scene only 

 lasted about one minute; the variety of colours disappeared, and the 

 beams lost their lateral motion, and were converted, as usual, into the flash- 

 ing radiations, buteven then its urpassed all other appearances of the aurora, 

 in that the whole hemisphere was covered with it. Notwithstanding the 

 suddenness of the effulgenceat the breaking out of the aurora, there was a 

 remarkable regularity in the manner. Apparently a ball of fire ran along 

 from east to west, and the contrary, with a velocity so great as to be barely 

 distinguishable from one continued train, which kindled up the several rows 

 of beams one after another; these rows were situate before each other with 

 theexactestorder, so that the basesof each row formed a circle crossing the 

 magnetic meridian at right angles ; the several circles rose one above another 



