1 08 Notice of the late Aurora Borealis. 



Comique. Several parties of firemen were running their fire 

 engines, when it was ascertained that the fiery appearances af- 

 fected only the celestial regions. The light continued for sev- 

 all hours." 



Aurora Borealis. 



Gosport Observatory, Sept, 26, 1827. 



" At nine o'clock last evening a bright yellowlight appeared in 

 the N. W. quarter, behind a low stationary cirrostratus cloud, 

 and gradually extended from N. to W. N. W. : it continued to in- 

 crease in altitude and width, and at ten had a brighter appear- 

 ance than the strongest crepuscule that appears in this latitude 

 in a clear sky, about the time of the summer solstice ; but nei- 

 ther lucid columns of light nor coruscations yet presented them- 

 selves. At half past ten the aurora had formed itself into a 

 tolerably well defined arc of intense light, whose base exten- 

 ded from N. to W. and at a quarter before eleven, perpendicu- 

 lar lucid columns and vivid coruscations of this subtile fluid ap- 

 peared in quick succession. So brilliant was the aurora at eleven, 

 that the streamers reached eight or nine degrees higher than Pola- 

 ris, and their apparent base was nearly horizontal with the star 

 Beta in Ursa Major. At this time the coruscations, which appear- 

 ed to spring up from a much greater northerly distance than the 

 columns were, reached to the constellation Cassiopeia, which 

 was nearly in the zenith. Soon after eleven, a column of light 

 six degrees in width gradually rose from the position of the be- 

 fore mentioned star, and when it had reached an altitude of sev- 

 enty degrees, it changed from a light yellow to a blood-red col- 

 or, which with the more elevated and vivid flashes that fre- 

 quently reached twenty degrees south of the zenith, gave the 

 aurora an awfully grand appearance, which it would be difficult 

 to paint or express. This wide column remained perfect up- 

 wards of an hour, alternately waving and increasing in brillian- 

 cy, and ultimately passed through the gradation of colors, which 

 is sometimes seen in the clouds near the horizon at sunset, as 

 lake, purple, light crimson, &c.;' it became apparently stationary 

 in the N. E. by E. point, and its eastern red edge was very 

 well defined in the dark blue sky. Two more columns of light 

 nearly similar in color and width, soon afterwards sprang up, one 

 in due north, the other in N. W. and passed the zenith several 

 degrees to the southward : these three large variegated columns 

 presented a very grand appearance. 



" At half past eleven, the aurora suddenly changed to light 

 red ; and from about this time till twelve o'clock the apex of 

 the arc of light was within four or five degrees of the polar 

 star ; consequently the hemisphere from N. E. by E. to S. W. 



