Meeson. — On the recent Sun-glows. 361 



Farming's Island in the North Pacific, and at Honolulu on 5th September 

 (S. E. Bishop, " Nature ") ; and the Riverina Star, 8th March, says that 

 " recently the sun has been surrounded by a halo, the outer rim being black, 

 the inner like a cloud of smoke." In Europe, in December, the moon and 

 stars at various times were observed to be green, and the sun white towards 

 setting. From 9th to 12th September the sun was green at Trincomalee, 

 in Ceylon, till it ascended to the height of 10 degrees above the horizon ; 

 later it was blue ; at noon, a bright blue ; and during its declining similar 

 changes took place, only reversed in order. The moon on or about the 

 same dates was similarly tinged (Langley, " Journal Am. Sci."). It will be 

 well to bear this observation in mind when we examine into the cause or 

 causes of the various phenomena. 



There are one or two other points that have been noticed in connection 

 with the displays. In the neighbourhood of Timaru and elsewhere a great 

 luminosity, almost like a continuation or a revival of the evening glow, has 

 been observed in the depth of the night all across the face of the sky round 

 about the place of the sun's setting. This was observed here frequently in 

 the months of November, December, and January, at one, two, and even so 

 late as three o'clock in the morning. The glow sometimes in these mid- 

 night displays extended from horizon to zenith over not the western but the 

 southern heavens, and was so brilliant that an observer (Mr. Marsden, of 

 Stoke) says he could by means of it easily have read ordinary clear type. 

 During the day the sun, even when the sky was cloudless, has been fre- 

 quently observed to be surrounded with a whitish glare (Conte California, 

 " Nature," 28th February), corona?, or coloured halos. Often it has been 

 very hazy. This was noticed by Mr. Hazen, who read a paper on the whole 

 subject recently before the Philosophical Society in Washington. Occa- 

 sionally also, as at Freiburg on the 11th January, and here hi Nelson on 

 the 24th of last month, even with a clear sky there has been no glow at all, 

 though on the previous day there was a very distinct one ; again, through 

 the glow the stars have been distinctly seen, and on the 4th and 5th of 

 January there was a ring of 30 degrees in diameter round the moon, and 

 that satellite seemed to be gleaming through watery vapour. Again, on the 

 1st December it was observed that the glow did not become bright till a 

 full hour after sunset (Hard. Sci. Gos.). Some observers, too, have noticed 

 a large and striking coloured arc, pink or crimson, opposite the sun at the 

 time of the glow. Furthermore, it is recorded that the cirrus-like wisps of 

 cloud on which the sunset phenomena appeared in November and December 

 disappeared altogether or became very faint and large towards the com- 

 mencement of the current year. 



