Auroræ: Their Characters and SpectraCapron, J. Rand
History
Auroræ: Their Characters and Spectra
Capron, J. Rand
Auroras
In the Swedish Expedition, 1868, Lemström mentions that in the
Aurora spectrum there are nine lines (he does not say he saw them
simultaneously), which he considers to agree with lines belonging to the
air-gases. He also thinks the Aurora could be referred to three distinct
types, depending on the character of the discharge.
[Sidenote: Spectrum or Aurora seen at Tronsa.]
At Tronsa an Aurora was seen October 21st, 1868, which commenced in the
north and became very brilliant. The spectroscope showed:—
1. A yellow line at 74·9.
2. A very clear line in the blue at 65·90.
3. Two lines of hair’s breadth, with very pronounced (horizontal?) striæ
on the side of the yellow, one at 125 and the other about 105.
[I presume the striæ were really vertical, and that the explanation
intended to convey that these lines shaded off towards the yellow. From
a comparison of the figures they must have been in the red, and are the
only instance recorded of two auroral lines in that region. They are
subsequently spoken of as “shaded rays.”—J. R. C.]
[Sidenote: MM. Wijkander and Parent’s observations.]
M. Auguste Wijkander and Lieut. Parent, of the Swedish Expedition in
1872-73, under Professor Nordenskiöld, used a direct-vision spectroscope,
with a micrometer-screw movement of the prisms, the reading being
afterwards reduced to wave-lengths upon Ångström’s line-values.
The following Table gives the results, with Dr. Vogel’s lines added for
the sake of comparison:—
+------+------------------------+-----------------------+-------+------+
| |Observations, Wijkander.| Observations, Parent. | | |
| |-------+-----+----------+-------+-----+---------|Mean of| |
|Lines.| | | Probable | | |Probable | both. |Vogel.|
| |Number.|W.L. | error. |Number.|W.L. | error. | | |
+------+-------+-----+----------+-------+-----+---------+-------+------+
| .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 6297 |
| .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 5569 |
| (1) | 5 | 5359| ±3 | .. | .. | .. | 5359 | 5390 |
| (2) | 6 | 5289| ±5 | 3 | 5280| ± 1 | 5286 | .. |
| (3) | 6 | 5239| ±4 | 2 | 5207| ±11 | 5231 | 5233 |
| .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 5189 |
| (4) | 5 | 4996| ±9 | .. | .. | .. | 4996 | 5004 |
| (5) | 1 | 4871| .. | 1 | 4873| .. | 4872 | .. |
| (6) | 8 | 4692| ±2 | 10 | 4708| ± 5 | 4701 | 4663 |
| (7) | 1 | 4366| .. | .. | .. | .. | 4366 | .. |
| (8) | 4 | 4280| ±3 | 3 | 4286| ±16 | 4284 | .. |
+------+-------+-----+----------+-------+-----+---------+-------+------+
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