3 so 



NATURE 



Feb. lo, iSSi 



the north-east horizon. One very long streamer nearly due north 

 rose from the dark segment and extended beyond the upper arch. 

 At 6h. 27m. there were six well-formed arches, the npper one 

 being that visible at 6h. 25m. They were all bent more or les=, 

 pointed towards east and west, and moved in a north current, i.e. 

 rising perpendicularly ; and increasing rapidly in speed as they 

 neared the zenith, and fading away on reaching a point ?ome 

 20° S. (of the zenith). Their brilliancy was great, and a strong 

 orange and red glare coloured the walls of the Observatory. A 

 large intense patch of light was situated in north-east, from 

 which streamers rose to the zenith ; at 6h. 28m. the whole of the 



arches (except that of the dark segment) had disappeared, occa- 

 sional streamers and a strong glare ci ntiimed, which at 7I1. gm. 

 was unusually brilliant, and red and orange in colour. There 

 were confused patchy lights, but no streamers. At "fa. lom. these 

 patches, together with their veil-like flames, passed to the south 

 of the zenith, and formed a cupola which did not last a second ; 

 7h. l6m. the phenomenon was now all confusion, and so tliin 

 that there appeared to be no brilliancy, yet the time by a \\ atch 

 was readily seen; 7h. 26m. very similar; 7h. 39m. still very 

 bright, but settling down to the horizon ; 8h. 34m. the whole 

 northern heavens up to the zenith was a glare of thin sheets of 

 auiora , oh om 1 £;lare alone remained. 



The streamers west of north all moved westerly, but not those 

 in north-east, and this also applies to the patches of light, whilst 

 the arches moved in a north current. 



The appearance was that of a luminous mist, and from the 

 great speed when near the zenith was evidently much lower than 

 usual. Flashes of thin light were very constant, appearing and 

 disappearing incessantly. 



The patches of light were a close copy of the aurora of October 

 1848, i.e. thirty- two years three and a half months ago, and it 

 this be the third return of that appearance the period would he 

 eleven years and thirty-five days. E. J. Lowe 



Highfield House, Nottingham 



AuRORic lights have been faint and scarce of late. There 

 were some good ones a little before midnight on January 16 



while on the 31st there was a most brilliant display, and of the 

 observations made the following is an epitome : — 



At 6 o'clock the sky was cloud-masked, with faint traces of 

 orange-red columns between the north-west and north-east ; 

 coming up to 6.30 the clouds cleared away, and about 7 there 

 were brilliant white lights to the north-west, making the night 

 as light as day. At 7.40 an oblique band of silver light ex- 

 tended from the west to the upper star of the Plough, and from 

 it shot up horns towards the zenith, while the southern portion 

 of the sky w.as a fitry red, with columns rising in places. At 

 7.48 there were remarkable silver lights in two oblique systems, 

 one set rising between the south and west and going northward, 

 and the other between the west and north-east and going south- 

 ward. The tint were s'eady and fairly constant, the second a 

 series of rapid successive flashes, streals, and glows. The 

 systems of lights formed beautiful crosses at the zenith. The 

 flush lights passed round to the east, and all disappeared. 



At 7.53 fans of penci's of silver lights came up between the 

 north-north west ai d north-north-east, with at times disks at the 

 north. Red, orange, and purple lights were rising at the same 

 time in the southern portion of the heavens. Subsequently the 

 northward heavens usually were light and bright, with flushes 

 of light at intervals, while the southern portion was dark, with 

 columns of orange and reddish lights ; some displays to the 

 northward being very bright, of green, silver, and pink colours. 



At 9.30 there appeared an elliptic arch of silver light from the 

 west-north-west by north to the north-east, which continued to 

 10.50, sometimes being much more distinct than at other time-s, 

 its length being considerably contracted before it finally disap- 

 peared ; the arch in general was white, but sometimes a silvery 

 green. The under-sky was different shades of violet, the over- 

 sky pale bright yellowish green. At times this arch was very 

 similar to the pictures of aurorse given in books on Arctic 

 travels. 



At 10.45, ^ little before therarch finally disappeared, a 

 brilliant display of silver pencils instantaneously sprang up 

 between west-norlh-west and north-norih-east ; those at the 

 north north-west by north being perpendicular, while those on 

 either side sloped slightly ; this lasted .''or nearly ten minutes ; 

 glow and pencils of pink lights were also coming up during the 

 time, especially at the north-west. Afterwards white lights 

 appeared at times in the north heavens, and orange and purj le 

 in the south, up to 11.45, when there was another brilliant 

 display of silver lights. It began by pencils shooting up per- 

 pendicularly between the west to the north-east, which changed 

 into a fan, the perpendicular lights only rising at the north-north- 

 west ; this lasted five minutes, 'he largest, most constant, and 

 brilliant lights coming up at the north-west. At 12 there was the 

 best displ.ay I had seen during the night. It consisted of pencils 

 between the north-west and north north-east, some perpendicular, 

 others fan-shaped ; some steady, others in flashes ; while .at the 

 same time tl ere was a continuous upw ard stream of waves or 

 lines of vivid white bright lights. The latter were so peculiar 

 that I am at a loss to describe ihem sufficiently ; while this 

 display was in progress at the north, to the south-east, bounded 

 by hard lines at the ea-t and south, tliere were red lights rising. 

 The white lights in about five minutes disappeared as suddenly 

 as they came, but at 12.10 horizontal wavy white lights shot up 

 in rapid succession between the norih-west and north-north-east 

 by north, followed by nadialing pencils of white lights, all dis- 

 appearing at 12.15. No very remarkable lights appeared after- 

 wards up to I o'clock, when the last observations were made. 



There were severe frosts on the nights of the 30 and 31st, 

 while during the daytime en the 31st and February i there were 

 remarkably hot suns. G. Henry Kinahan 



Ovoca, CO. Wicklow 



Clear starry night; slight frost. Shortly before 12 mid- 

 night beautiful auroras, when first observed, consisted of 

 cloud-like white masses extending from about midway betweep 

 Orion's belt and the Pleiades north" ard and eastw ard at about 

 30" above horizo", a little west of north, where the crown of the 

 arc it formed lay below this arch of cloud-like masses (which at 

 intervals shot up individually to the zenith) ; there were a num- 

 ber of pencils or rays of white light of varying length and 

 intensity, some bright' and sharply defined, and as a rule marrow 

 and extending up to or beyond the cloud-Iike masses ; others 

 short, and some indistinct, all continually altering their position, 

 boundaries, and intensities. While they were being watched, 

 the cloud -like masses kept shooting upwards or horizontally like 

 brush discharges. 



