324 



BEN NEVIS OBSERVATORY.— LOG-BOOK. 



[1884. 



This corona was formed on passing fog and scud ; its size 

 appeared to vary. 



Oct. 16. — At l h bright light seen low down to north- 

 ward ; might be aurora, but no green line was visible in 

 spectrum. 



Oct. 24.— At noon sky to N.W. dirty yellow, at 13 h 

 greenish and brown, and at 14 h bright red. At 19 h faint 

 lunar corona visible. 



Nov. 1. — At midnight the clouds above the hill had a 

 very misty look, and seemed to hang down clear of the 

 hill on each side. 



Nov. 3. — At ll h fog-bow observed with colours, red 

 inside. 



Nov. 7. — At midnight faint misty corona observed ; red 

 outside. Diameter of red = 5°. 



Nov. 10. — At 15 h there was heavy cumulus round 

 horizon, but no fog in valleys. Near the sun the sky 

 showed a brown glare, while the northern sky was pale 

 green. At 22 h 10 m clouds were observed blowing across 

 from the southern hills, but vanishing before they reached 

 Ben Nevis. 



Nov. 13. — At 6 h faint corona seen, no distinct colours, 

 but a faint red ring with white inside and blue out. At 

 noon glory and fog-bow seen in valley to northward. 

 Sky beneath sun at noon bright yellow. At 19 h dark 

 belt all round horizon about 5° high, darkest to westward ; 

 the rest of the sky milky looking. 



Nov. 14. — At 7 h the eastern horizon was brightly 

 coloured ; the order of colours being, red and yellow to 

 about 3° above horzion, green 11°, blue 50°. The sky to 

 the west being of a faint purple hue. Among these colours 

 were streaks of filmy cloud ; sky otherwise clear. Three 

 times, at intervals of about 5 minutes, a very small cloud 

 shot up from the horizon to E.S.E. like a puff of smoke 

 from an engine chimney, and then fell and disappeared. 

 At 7 h 40 m the colours to E.S.E. got watery looking, the 

 streaky clouds increased, and the sky for about 8° 

 above the yellow part was almost white. At 7 h 44 m a 

 purplish-pink arch appeared to the W.N.W. The arch 

 was about 7° broad, and clear space underneath, some 

 5", was pale sea-green in colour. It lasted till the sun 



rose. As the sun rose, it took the above forms in suc- 

 ion, as it passed through the streaks of cloud. The 

 streaks of cloud were invisible, except when brought out 

 by the sun and the colours in the sky. At 8 h the sky 

 under the sun was brick-red in colour, in the forenoon the 

 sun was surrounded by a dusty looking red corona, the 

 inside radius of which was about 11°. At ll h this 

 corona had a white watery look inside between the reddish- 

 band and the sun. The haze under the sun was brick- 

 red. At sunset the sun had a flat-topped look while pass- 

 ing under the horizon, the northern limb being slightly 



higher than the other. A distinct pink afterglow was 

 observed on cirrus clouds. At 18 b there was still a 

 white glow to W. At 19 h fog was on hill top, and sky 

 obscured. 



Nov. 15. — Light fog on hill top in early morning, clear- 

 ing off about sunrise, but 

 leaving detached patches on 

 hills round. At 7 h 20 m , be- 

 fore sunrise, pink streamers 

 appeared to S.E. Just 

 above a heavy cloud bank 

 there was, first a narrow 

 belt of red, then a patch 

 of yellow and orange, above 

 that dirty green colour. 

 The streamers shot up 

 through this, apparently 

 sloping towards the obser- 

 ver. The sky at zenith 

 was deep blue, while to 

 westwards there was a 

 watery pink glow. As 

 the sun rose it assumed 

 these forms. These figures 

 are copied from tracings 

 made by focussing the sun's image on a sheet of paper 

 from a telescope, and pencilling the outline. 



Nov. 21. — At noon the sky was pretty clear (cum.-str. 4), 

 but fog low down all round. The movements of this fog 

 showed a descending current on the south side of Ben 

 Nevis, and an ascending to westward out of Glen Nevis. 

 Wind, N. and E., force 4 to 5. At 19 h the moon was shin- 

 ing through haze to S.W., looking very red, and with a 

 glare like what surrounded the sun during the day. 



Nov. 23. — At 6 h faint glow to S.E. near horizon. At 

 7 h yellow, green, blue, and violet colours at S.E. horizon. 

 At 8 h still bright colours to S.E., and splendid sunrise. 

 At 9 h glories observed on fog to N., apparently about 2 

 miles distant, showing five red rings. These continued all 

 day, the number of rings varying from 3 to 5 (see fig. 4). 

 At 14 h measurements were taken — 1st red, too small 

 to measure ; 2nd, 2° ; 3rd, 3° 15' ; 4th, 4° 50' ; 5th, too 

 faint to measure. The 1st ring was blurred and indis- 

 tinct-looking. The 5th ring was incomplete, and very 

 faint. In each ring red outside and blue inside. At 

 8 h church bells (? Fort William) were heard from top of 

 tower. At noon the red haze under the sun to the form 

 of a crude partial halo. Radius of inner side, 10° 40' ; 

 of outer, 23° 30'. At 14 h the level top of the fog round 

 the hill was at about 3000 feet. By 15 u it had risen 

 almost the height of Ben Nevis. Very little colour in 

 western sky at sunset, and no afterglow. A faint light 

 observed to N. at night, which might be auroral ; but no 

 green line was visible in spectroscope. 



Nov. 24.— At 6 h faint glow to E.S.E. 

 At 7 h colours above cloud bank at horizon 

 as in margin. At 8 h sky and clouds to 

 N.W. pink. At 7 h 14 m while Mr Rankin 

 was looking out of the tower door with a 

 telescope, and steadying it by holding it up 

 against the wooden framework of the tower, he felt several 

 distinct shocks or tremors, more intense than and of a 

 different character from the vibrations caused by wind. 

 No noise was heard outside, but a faint rumbling in the 



Purple 



Blue 



Green 



Yellowish 



green 



Yellowish red 



Horizon 



