Auroras and Sunset. 147 



" Sept. 3d, Brown Co., 111. We had a splendid Aurora Borealis. 

 The light first appeared in the northeast, of a yellow color, and 

 spread round the horizon each way, nearly to the west on one 

 side and southeast on the other side. The aurora then began to 

 shoot up in brilliant pillars of yellow light below and rose-colored 

 above. These pillars converged to a point, 3° or 4° S. of the 

 zenith ; there was no waving or rolling motion. As the brilliancy 

 increased above, the northern horizon became dark, like a bank 

 of fog unilluminated, and through it the stars were visible. Grad- 

 ually it faded away, and bright places E. S. E. and W. N. W. 

 were all that would attract attention. In about half an hour, 

 most brilliant columns shot upward from these points, of yellow 

 and crimson light, and all over the northern horizon pillars gradu- 

 ally developed themselves, and became extremely bright. Mean- 

 while, deep crimson light appeared in the southeast and stretched 

 over to the N. W., forming a complete arch about 50° high, and 

 under that another arch of a white light about 30° high, both dis- 

 tinct, regnlar and well-defined. The crimson one was absolutely 

 intense in its color, as palpable as blood. This continued several 

 minutes. All this time the dark bank was black in the northern 

 horizon and probably 25° high. At length brilliant yellow pillars 

 rose from the northern horizon through the dark bank at several 

 points, and faded and rose again. Gradually the whole became 

 less brilliant, and soon the splendor of the phenomenon was gone. 

 It exceeded in splendor all that I ever saw, except that in January, 

 two years ago." In this, as in many cases, the Aurora seems to 

 be black, as well as colored. The two arches were not nearly so 

 distinct as described in Illinois, though one was nearly complete 

 for some time. 



Is not the color of the light depending upon the height at 

 which the electric fluid or Aurora is passing, the red making its 

 way through the lower and denser parts of the atmosphere com- 

 pared with the other ? That the phenomenon has any connec- 

 tion with spicula? of ice in the upper regions, appears most remo- 

 ved from any thing tangible. 



II. Aurora of Sept. 3d, as observed at Olean, N. Y". 



About half an hour after sunset a mild lighting up of the 

 heavens in the north, as is usual, or very frequent at this season, 



