VOM 30. Januar bis 1. Febeuar (n. St.) 1881 
29 
(Die Beobachtung abgebrochen um ein Spectroskop herbei zu holen. 
SU. 15. Alles im Nebel, selbst Venus und Orion. Dies bleibt bis 11 U. der Fall, 
wo die weitere Beobachtung eingestellt ward ^). 
H. J. H. Gronemann. 
5. Stonylilirst bei Blackbui'D (Englaud). 
The commencement of the aurora (January 31, 1881) consisted in the sudden liglrting 
up of various portions of the sky by patches of white cloud, the northern horizon remaining 
constantly bright, and sending forth vertical streamers. The général appearance of the 
heavens was that of a smooth lake ruffled here and there every other second by fitful gusts 
of wind. 
At 6 45 pm. no ordinary clouds could be seen, but the flashes of white liglit were 
incessant and varied continually in position. The light was strongest towards the North- 
east horizon, but the лѵЬоІе of the North was well lit up from North-east to West. 
At 6 50 the streamers from the horizon increased in length and enveloped Polaris. 
At 6 55 the number of the streamers increased and springing from the whole Nor- 
thern horizon, traversed an imperfect arch of white light which passed between e and Ç Ur- 
sae and just below ß and y Ursae Minoris. 
At 6 57 streamers 10° West of North passed from the horizon trough the zenith, 
and the display was becoming very brilliantwhen I wasobliged to enter the observatory for a 
few minutes to observe an éclipse of Jupiter's second satellite. 
On Eeturning to the garden at 7'' 5"* nothing remained of the Aurora except patches 
of white light in différent parts of the heavens, and a strong glow in the North. Using a 
band spectroscope I could see the green auroral line very strongly marked in every part of 
the sky, but по other line was visible. 
There was no change in the phenomenon until 7'' 45"', when a most brilhant cone of 
light of a reddish Ime darted from between a and у Aquarii, and developed almost imme- 
diately into а number of streamers which stretched out towards the Pléiades, this Cluster 
being then some 30' from the zenith towards the West of South. Other streamers also ap- 
peared near the horizon from the West point to East of North. 
A lull succeeded this display, followed at 8'' 15"* by a grand outburst of red strea- 
mers from Aquarius and also from near Orion both converging towards the Pléiades, those 
from Aquarius being the brightest. These were visible for at least six seconds along with 
other rays in the North West. 
Cloud and haze were then collecting fast and seven tenths of the sky vv^as already ob- 
1) Es muss hier noch im Allgemeinen bemerkt wer- | Länge, noch seitlich beobachtet wurde, 
den, dass an den Strahlen keine Bewegung, weder in die 1 
4* 
