122 Notes to the Extra Observations of Magnetometers, February 7 — March 7, 1845. 



NOTES ON THE AURORiE BOREALES SEEN AT MAKERSTOUN. 



d. h. m. 

 Feb. 7 14 15. Pulsations without doubt, the wedge of pure sky pointing nearly NNE. as on February 1st ; fre- 

 quent pulsations to NE., and especially on the edges of the loose cirro-stratus to NE. 

 30. Very fine milky aurora ; nearly as distinct as on February 1st, bright to W., with pulsations ; parallel 

 bars of dark and light sky, altitude about 45° from W., pointing neaidy NNE. ; pulsations all 

 round ; stars getting brighter to S. 

 40. Aurora much off; stars very clear and distinct; very faint aurora now; very faint pulsations? 



neither would have been detected unless carefully watched. 

 50. Much as at 40™ ; most distinct about NNE., where the point of the wedge of sky is still well seen. 



15 0. Very faint; as before. 



5. Bright again with pulsations ; nearly the whole sky covered. An amorphous mass of cirrous cloud 

 on SSW. horizon, which seems to pulsate (or merely reflects the pulsations of the rest of the sky ?); 

 it is dense on one side, and extends into thin cirri on the other (W.) side. 



20. Faint again, with pulsations around. 



30. The cloud to SSW. has extended into long strips of cirrus ; radiating from that point, it completely 

 obscures the stars, excepting at the extremities, where the stars are seen dimly. The strips have 

 a slight curvature, the concavity to E., are blackish, and quite dififerent from the milky aurora. 

 They reach now to zenith ; pulsations to E. 



35. Idem. 



16 0. Overcast ; pulsations to NNE. 1 



10. Loose, chequered cirro-cumuli to S. (B.) 

 Feb. 24 8 5. A very faint auroral bank, 5° altitude. 25™. Aurora as before ; very faint, sky quite clear, and no 

 moonlight. 

 35. The auroral light can with difficulty be detected. 



44. The aurora, which has been very faint, was now broken into bundles of streamers some of them 



reaching to an altitude of 20°. 



49. A low indistinct arch, crown about N by W., altitude 5°; a few faint streamers to NNW., reaching 

 to an altitude of 25°. 



56. Arch fi-om NE by N., to NW by W., a few pencils at the eastern extremity. 

 9 1. Flat arch about 7° altitude. 



15. Measurements of arch ; extremities N. 27° E. and N. 70° W., altitude of summit 8°, centre of arch 

 N. 20° W. ; a few patches within the arch. 20'". The arch has much diminished and is very faint, 

 a few patches on the horizon . 



25. Two arches, the upper one very faint, the lower broken and about 2^° altitude ; a dark space, not 

 cloud, among the aurora to N. 28™. Aurora much fainter. 30™. Growing brighter, chiefly com- 

 posed of broad patches which commence on the horizon and spread upwards. 



38 — 40. An irregular mass of light from about N. ^° W. to N., where it breaks abruptly ; the mass moves 

 slowly eastward ; at the termination of the light there is a dark space, and a little farther east- 

 ward a few streamers ; the light breaks up into patches, filling up the dark space ; it then swells 

 out into a dense mass of light, and moves westwards, apparently pushing an intensely black patch 

 before it. 



45. All broken up, a few bright patches. 51™. The moon rose about this time, and obscured the aurora, 



some streamers were seen occasionally afterwards. (W.) 

 10 0. Faint streamers seen to NNW. 

 Feb. 28 1 1 — 30. The sky seems milky all over, with a slight appearance of radiation from N by E. ; it seems pro- 

 bable that this is milky aiirora. There is rather more light to N. than elsewhere. Cannot be sure 

 that there are any pulsations. There are dai'k-looking patches (of cloud X) to NW., through 

 whose edges at least stars are visible. 



12 0. Evidently auroral light to N., but very faint ; in fact only a little lighter than the rest of the sky, 



which is much as before ; the black patches to N. are away, at least from their previous position ; 

 if clouds they were very thin. 



13 4. Cirri radiating from S by W., sky milky as before; some cirrous haze. 



14 4. Cirri with cirrous haze, cirri radiating from about S. and N. Faint auroral light to N. It may be 



remarked that the character of the disturbances on the nights of milky aixrora has been the same. 

 March. 7 14 10. Clouds cleared off from zenith, and to an altitude of 45° above NE., where the sky seems milky and 

 lighter than nearer the zenith ; cirro-cumulous clouds to NW. are very black, and seem lying in , 

 a milky sky. Speck of light near horizon at NNW. At the edges of the clouds the sky seems 

 milkier than elsewhere, or if milky in no other place, it seems milky there ; this has been frequently 

 noticed before, is it merely an optical deception ? (B.) 



