Observations of the aurora borealis. From September 1834 to September 1839 / [Robert Snow].

  • Snow, Robert.
Date:
1842
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations of the aurora borealis. From September 1834 to September 1839 / [Robert Snow]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/18 (page 6)
    of the arch reached the Pole-star, about which point the Aurora took a deep red tinge, and sent up streamers of the same colour. At llh 45m the Aurora was con¬ fined to the N. W. portion of the heavens, and took in the constellation Cygnus. Some of the stars of Ursa Major were beautifully seen through the ruby-coloured Aurora. At 13h (one in the morning) it clouded over, but as seen through breaks in the clouds the arch still seemed to be very bright and extensive ; and so up to 16h, (four in the morning.) Ashurst, November 18, 1835. — After a day of heavy wind and rain, it cleared off at seven o’clock in the evening, when an Aurora, perhaps the most mag¬ nificent ever seen in this country, made its appearance. Between 8h and 9h there was a superb and well-defined arch, but less in span than that of last night, and having about half the altitude of the Pole-star, or 25° 38'. The crown of the arch was a little to the westward of the north. For an hour and a half, from above the crown of the arch, both white streaming columns and undu¬ lating sheets of Auroral light continued to flow, ex¬ tending frequently to the zenith. The contrast of this illumination with the natural darkness of the sky in the south, and with the peculiar darkness in the north beneath the arch, was very remarkable. Some of the principal stars in Ursa Major were seen through the Auroral light, and others of the same constel¬ lation in the darker part of the sky. The whole Aurora entirely differed in character from that of last