Miscellanies^ 365 



even at this time bounded by something like an arch, that was convex 

 toward the zenith. The aurora was often party-colored ; frequently 

 of a rose-red, especially in spots, in that portion of the sky which 

 might be supposed to be near the plane of the dipping needle ; and al- 

 so about the center of the corona. It was in the part of the heavens 

 here described, that the arch of greatest intensity could most common- 

 ly, if not uniformly, be traced : though the crown of it frequently fa- 

 ded away, or became excessively faint. 



Between the spots of red light, or beams of the same tint, others 

 were observed, which, either from the effect of the first mentioned 

 color, or something peculiar to themselves, appeared of a color ap- 

 proaching to a bottle-green. 



At times, again, when the corona was deficient, the appearance of 

 what remained on each side of the vacant spot, was not unlike that of 

 two immense comets ; their heads some small distance asunder, and 

 their tails turned eastward and westward. 



The light of the corona, when most perfect, was quite dense, not 

 only at the central point, but also near to what seemed to be the outer 

 limits of its radiations, at which the tint commonly exhibited the near- 

 est approach to white. 



Two meteors or shooting stars were seen, which in both cases ap- 

 peared to pass between the aurora and the eye of the observer ; one 

 nearly in the direction of the arch of greatest intensity, and the oth- 

 er almost perpendicular to it. The precise times of their appearance 

 were not noted, though they fell within that period in which the phe- 

 nomena already described were exhibited. 



The corona formed again at nine ; and, though again broken, was 

 imperfectly visible after that time. 



At half past nine, the eastern portion of the sky became tinted with 

 intense red and green; but at half past ten, little else remained than 

 the appearance of bright horizontal beams of a white color in the 

 north. 



If it be admitted that the centre of the aurora was precisely midway 

 between a Aquiiae and a Lyrse, at twenty minutes past eight, its azi- 

 muth must have been 1° 14' 42" E. of S., and its altitude 73° 27' 6" ; 

 the latitude of the observer being 40° 20' 47" N. The point thus des- 

 ignated, would be very nearly in the direction of the dipping needle ; 

 the dip being, by observation, 72° 47' 6" (72° 47.1') and the variation 

 (though not accurately determined,) some 4° W. or that of the S. end 

 of the needle, of course, the same extent to the east. The degrees 

 of azimuth, reckoned on a parallel to the horizon at an altitude of 72'^ 

 and more, being small, the deviation from the direction of the dipping 

 needle, measured on the arc of a great circle, would be scarcely more 

 than 1° towards the N. W. 



Vol. XXXIX, No. 2.— July-September, 1840. 47 



