Auroræ: Their Characters and SpectraCapron, J. Rand
History
Auroræ: Their Characters and Spectra
Capron, J. Rand
Auroras
The description, from my notes made at the time of this fine display, is
as follows:—“Last evening (October 24) the Aurora Borealis was again most
beautifully seen here (Guildford). At 6 P.M. indications of the coming
display were visible in the shape of a bright silver glow in the north,
which contrasted strongly with the opposite dark horizon. For two hours
this continued, with the addition from time to time of a crimson glow in
the north-east, and of streamers of opaque-white phosphorescent cloud,
shaped like horse-tails (very different from the more common transparent
auroral diverging streams of light), which floated upwards and across
the sky from east and west to the zenith. At about 8 o’clock the display
culminated; and few observers, I should think, ever saw a more lovely
sky-picture. Two patches of intense crimson light about this time massed
themselves on the north-east and north-west horizon, the sky between
having a bright silver glow. The crimson masses became more attenuated
as they mounted upwards; and from them there suddenly ran up bars or
streamers of crimson and gold light, which, as they rose, curved towards
each other in the north, and, ultimately meeting, formed a glorious arch
of coloured light, having at its apex an oval white luminous corona
or cloud of similar character to the phosphorescent clouds previously
described, but brighter. At this time the spectator appeared to be
looking at the one side of a cage composed of glowing red and gold bars,
which extended from the distant parts of the horizon to a point over
his head. Shortly after this the Auroral display gradually faded away,
and at 9 o’clock the sky was of its usual appearance, except that the
ordinary tint seemed to have more of indigo, probably by contrast with
the marvellous colours which had so lately shone upon it.”
[Sidenote: T. F.’s description of same at Torquay. Mr. Gibbs’s report in
London.]
T. F., describing the same Aurora from Torquay, says it showed itself at
sundown, attained its maximum at 8, and lasted until 11. At 8 o’clock
more than half the visible heavens was one sea of colour; the general
ground greenish yellow and pale rose, with extensive shoals of deep rose
in the east and west; while from the north, streaming upwards to and
beyond the zenith, were tongues and brushes of rosy red, so deep that the
sky between looked black. Mr. Gibbs reported that in London, at about 8
o’clock, brilliant crimson rays shot up to the zenith, and the sky seemed
one mass of fire.
A facsimile of my water-colour sketch of this fine discharge is given on
Plate III.
[Illustration: Plate III.]
_Mr. Barker’s (superposed) red and white Auroræ, 9th November (1870?)._
[Sidenote: Mr. Barker’s Auroræ, 9th November (1870?). Red Aurora. White
Aurora.]
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