Dec. 13, 1883] 



NA TURE 



Centre of maximum brightness followed the sun, as usual. 

 The light as it sank near the horizon was quite without 

 definite outline or the ray shafts which appeared on 

 previous evenings with a clear sky. 



December 2. — Sunrise cloudy. Cloudy at sunset, but 

 clouds partially clearing off. Thin fog on low ground. 

 Bank of clouds in west. Sunset 3.53. At 4.20 faint 

 amber glow above cloud-bank, growing in strength as 

 darknesi came on. At 4 10 the sky towards the zenith 

 from the west was crossed by spokes of light as from the 

 thinnest possible cirrus streaks, diverging from the sun's 

 place as centre, and some of these nearly overhead 

 became somewhat bent after a few minutes. The thin 

 clouds scattered about evidently caught some light from 

 a hidden source. At 5 p.m. the light was pale yellow, 

 and had moved northwards. At 5. 10 disappeared behind 

 cloud-bank. 



December 3. — Cloudy. 



December 4. — Very fine and clear morning at 5 a.m. 

 At 6.5 a.m. the first blush of red appeared over the planta- 

 tion (about 400 yards off) due east, and by 6.10 was quite 

 bright, like the reflection of a fire. It grew quickly up- 

 wards, and by 6. 15 must have been 15° above the horizon. 

 It appeared uniform and amorphous. By 6.30 the red 

 had changed slowly to saffron, and being seen less in 

 perspective, the colour seemed less concentrated. The re- 

 flecting material, or a part of it, was now seen to consist 

 of ill-defined streaks and patches of very thin misty cloud 

 of some sort, in which after long watching from suitable 

 positions no motion could be detected, though distinct 

 streaks nearly overhead were chosen. At 6.45 some of 

 these streaks were illuminated nearly overhead south- 

 wards of a pale straw-colour and bluish white, and their 

 outlines were distinct. Most of the streaks stretched 

 about west-south-west to east-north-east, and towards the 

 north-east the appearance was like a fretwork of the 

 lightest wavy miat. From 6.30 to 6.50 the coloured arc was 

 of a sickly yellowish green, with a pale pink ton^ards the 

 zenith and a rather ghastly steel-white glare below. At 

 6.53 a second glow much brighter than the first appeared 

 in the east-south-east by south, of a deep red colour, 

 quickly turning to orange. This glow was in a bank or 

 arc much better defined than the first. At 7.10 it had 

 turned quite yellow and had grown up many degrees. At 

 7.16 the last star disappeared in the bright light now 

 cast on all objects towards the west, the clear sky 

 as the light touched the thin high mist appearing 

 progressively veiled with opaque cloud. Just before 

 the advent of the second glow the thin cloudy streaks 

 had nearly vanished into pure blue sky. At 7.12 the 

 upper part of arc No. 2 was pinkish yellow, with a 

 greenish-white centre below. At 7.20 the part below the 

 arc and along the horizon south and north for some dis- 

 tance was a peculiar steely-bluish white, the lower part of 

 the arc yellow, and the upper pink (at an altitude of about 

 50"). These eftects slowly diminished, but the steely hue 

 remained till sunrise. At 7.23 the sky overhead and 

 tow.irds the west was faint pink, with large billowy 

 streaks and patches, without fibrous structure. In full 

 daylight only faint traces of this cloudiness could be 

 seen, but the rising sun, like the first and second 

 glow, made it manifest. The sun rose (7.50) of a 

 red colour, but after about half an hour was pale 

 bluish white, and surrounded by a silver- white glare. 

 As the sun was setting (3.53), the high haze again 

 appeared by reflection to cloud over the sky. Nothing 

 otherwise very remarkable appeared till about 4.12, when 

 it was evident the phenomenon would recur, the central 

 spot above the sun's place being bright steel or lead 

 colour, and the parts round it a metallic pink. This has 

 been the usual preliminary. The sky in the east was rosy. 

 The rose colour quickly passed over towards the west, 

 and about 4.20 the whole sky between the west horizon 

 and the zenith was flushed with red. At 425 or there- 



abouts the crescent moon appeared blue in this pink haze, 

 but in a few minutes was left behind by it, and looked 

 much as usual. The small, greasy scud from north was 

 lighted up pi[)k in the east against a deep blue and 

 greenish sky. As the glow sank westwards, the sky 

 above seemed perfectly clear. At 4.35 the light was very 

 bright, and at 4.45 was lost to view behind low clouds. 

 As soon as it approached the horizon, the sky again 

 became streaked with the reflecting haze, which assumed 

 a straw-coloured tint. This pale light sank westwards 

 and disappeared soon after 5. The moon and stars gave 

 no indication of a haze canopy. 



December 5. — Exactly at 6.5 a.m. the first faint red 

 blush grew up quickly from east-south-east, and in seven 

 or eight minutes had increased largely in brightness and 

 extent. The night was very fine and clear, and the soft, 

 crimson glow hanging above the hoi-izon in the darkness 

 produced an interesting eftect. It grew rapidly up towards 

 the zenith, and at 6.18 formed an arc of which the highest 

 point was about 40° above the horizon. After this it 

 quickly changed to orange and yellow, and the colours 

 went off The arc w^as more southerly than yesterday, 

 and the peculiar light reached from south-south-west to 

 east-north-east. At 6.55 the second glow began, and rising 

 up quickly, produced a fine red arc, less bright than yester- 

 day's. At 7.6 the arc was olive-green below, yellow in 

 the central, and pink in the outer parts, and hardly any 

 cloudy structure could be discerned. What there was, 

 however, resembled the film of yesterday. The upper 

 edge of the glow was pretty well marked as it advanced, 

 and at 7. 12 it crossed the zenith and passed north-west- 

 wards, covering a bright star with a thin pink veil. This 

 star remained visible till 7.21. After this the sky was 

 pale yellow, and soon little remarkable remained, except 

 the greenish light in the south-east. Sunrise 7.51 ; red 

 sun, turning silvery white later. Sunset 3.50 in hazy 

 striK. Clear sky, except slight cirrus. At 4.15 yellow 

 glow, which went through changes as usual. The light 

 was pink overhead, and the margin passed the zenith 

 about 4.26. At this moment it may be supposed the sun 

 was sinking below the horizon at the altitude of the 

 reflecting material At 4 30 the moon looked blue in a 

 pink haze. Spokes of rays from the glowing bank at 4.45. 

 Some threatening cirro-stratus passed over at 4.45. 

 Horizon misty. Crescent moon greenish all the evening. 



December 6. — Sky very clear 6 a.m. First rose colour 

 6.10. Much fainter than previously. Second glow 6.5S. 

 Detached siud from 6.45 tinged with red on blue sky. 

 Sunset clear, except small detached scud. The light in 

 the west was fine, and went through changes, but was red 

 from 4.20 to 5.5 p.m. The glow seemed to be reflected 

 from some strips of apparent cirrus about 15° above the 

 horizon. During all this time the small clouds scattered in 

 all parts of the sky were of a pink colour against a greenish 

 and later a deep blue sky. 



December 7.— Cirrus streaks in west turned black 

 against pinkish yellow glow, 4.24. Sun looked quite 

 green through telescopic dark glass fifteen minutes before 

 sunset. 



December 11. — Fine sunrise and sunset phenomena, 

 the secondary glow after sunset lasting till 5.33. Steel 

 and pink halo from 12.45 P-™- Sky clear blue, at first 

 glance, by night and full daylight, but, examined with 

 light from below at a certain angle, seen to be quite 

 covered with hazy billows or striae, stretching away from 

 north-north-east to south-south-west, very umch higher 

 than the cirrus present, and after long watching showing 

 extremely slow tranverse motion from about west-north- 

 west. Unlike cirrus fibres, whichever way looked at they 

 appeared nearly parallel, without radiant point, even the 

 lines just above the horizon showing their true direction 

 almost exactly. Sun green through dark glass. 



It seems pretty clear that the secondary light which has 

 always succeeded the primary after sunset, and preceded 



