164 



20th. Sky obscured in the morning. 



15.15 A nebulous glow visible through the clouds to the 

 N.E. The gap in the clouds slowly enlarged and 

 the aurora brightened. Evidently a brilliant 

 aurora was proceeding over the Ross Sea near the 

 Barrier face. The aurora gradually encroached on 

 Mount Erebus. 



16.15) The intensity of the light was much diminished, and 



18.15 j continued so until 18.15, when it again increased. 



19.30 A very brilliant display was in progress in the N.E., 

 stretching from the N. to E. apparently, over the 

 E. side of Ross Island. This developed in the form 

 of a closed elliptical ring; within, to the N. end, 

 another smaller ring appeared later. The major 

 axes of the ellipses trended to the N.W. In the 

 first instance the rings formed curtains with lofty 

 streamers ; in later stages they became nebulous. 

 The illumination died down, and again rekindled 

 at intervals. 



20.00 Fragments of other curtains traversed the same area 

 in somewhat varying directions. 



20.15 The whole sky within 40° of the horizon from N. to 

 E. suffused in a steady bright auroral glow cover- 

 ing an elliptical area. 



21.30 The glow had now completely faded. Whilst this dis- 

 play was in progress to the N.E. no aurorae 

 appeared in other parts of the sky. At a later 

 stage, however, faint bands and streamers appeared 

 in the S. and S.E. ; some of these showed recurved 

 western ends. There seemed to be a slight 

 northerly drift of the bands. In the centre of the 

 auroral blaze described in the N.E. were a couple 

 of longish stratus clouds; these appeared very 

 black against the greenish-whiteness of the aurora. 

 The clouds trended about N.N.W. About 9 p.m. 

 other stratus clouds appeared abundantly in the 

 sky. Those in conj unction with Mount Erebus cut 

 it at the 10,500-feet level. The auroral display in the 

 N.E., in its later stages, contracted to the borders 

 of the clouds previously crossing its path. The 

 luminescence also appeared on the southern edge 

 of the cloud-bank to the N., and on the N. end 

 of the Erebus cloud-bank. When the aurora first 

 contracted to these clouds the latter appeared 

 with brightly illuminated borders; this lumin- 

 escence faded and rekindled at intervals, finally 

 disappearing entirely. Other clouds in the sky to 

 the W. and S. did not show a luminous border. 



22.30 A long band, stretched E. and W. across the sky, now 

 appeared at its brightest. It showed a slow move- 

 ment to the N. A luminous glow appeared around 

 the horizon as the evening progressed; this spread 

 to much of the sky, and appeared quite distinct 

 from that due to the moon, which rose in the E. at 

 21.00. 



24.00 Aurora reported. 

 21st, 2.00 Aurora reported, scattered generally in the heavens, 

 except W. of the zenith between N.W. and S. 



