December 25th, 1820.
Hour. Temp. Wind. A.M. 9 -4 3 w. Moderate. Clear. Faint bur round the moon, con-
, ^ siderable mist over the rapid.
Noon -3 8 do. do. Cloudless.. Haze in the horizon.
3 -3 5 s.w. Fresh._ do. do. Stratus in the south, rapid
inaudible, and free from mist.
9 -3 1 W.S.W. do. ■ do. A little haze.
Midnt. ^ 2 8 Cloudy and dark in the horizon. Stars seen
obscurely in the zenith.
At 1 (a.m. 26th.), the Aurora appeared for the first time this night in form
of a faint arch, extending from the altitude of 40° in the N.W. to a spot near
the zenith, bearing S.E. It was composed of longitudinal bands or streams
of light, connected with each other by a faint luminousness. A little snow
was felling at this time in minute crystals, and there was a slight haziness in
the Sky. December 26th, 1820.
Hour. Temp, Wind. Much 9 - 2 4 W.b.S. Fresh. Cloudy., snow-drift, very cold.
Noon - 2 2 S.W. Moderate, do. Stratus, sun. obscured, much
mist from the rapid'.
9 - 2 9 w. do. Clear.
Midnt. - 3 2 do. Light. do.
At 10h. 30' an arch-formed Aurora, about .8° broad, appeared a little to
the southward of the zenith. Its extremities descended to within 15 degrees
of the horizon, and terminated in the S.E. and N.W. At one time, the light
of the arch appeared of uniform density throughout; at. other times it was
most intense along its Southern or lower edge, and became gradually fainter
upwards until it disappeared.
The stars were seen obscurely through the denser light; in other parts of
the sky they shone brightly. At the same time, there appeared in the E.S.E.
parallel to the horizon, a mass of bright light with two or three dark horizontal
streaks across its face, produced apparently by intervening layers of cloud.
The arch continued for a considerable time without undergoing any material
alteration in its appearance, except that it occasionally brightened up and
faded away again. Once, indeed, for a few moments, it separated into por-
No. HI.] Dr. RICHARDSON ON THE AURORA. 619
tions parallel to each other, but haying about 11° of obliquity with respect to
the arch. These portions emitted a bright light, and were separated by faintly
luminous spaces.
At llh., the arch, having nearly the same direction as before, jvas composed
throughout the greater part of its length by two parallel portions, each gradually
fading away towards their edges; and the S.E. end of the arch was also,
lengthened out, and bent' towards the east, so as to come in contact with the
mass of light noticed above as bearing E.S.E. This bent portion of the arch
was composed of several bars nearly of equal length, and arranged so that
every succeeding one lay to the north of that which preceded it in their approach
to the horizon: the whole were connected together by a faint difiused light;
and from the same body of light in which that end of the arch now terminated,
a column of faint beams rose perpendicularly to the height of 15°.
At llh 20' the arch had increased its breadth to 20°, its northern edgebeing
very near the zenith. Itmextremitieg, bearing S.E. and N.W., were composed
of irregular, and somewhat detached roundish, masses, but its centre cpnsisted
of five bright longitudinal bands connected’by d faint diffused light. The
mass of light formerly bearing E.S.E., had now moved round towards the
south, and still resting in the horizon, formed the S.E. end of the arch,
At midnight, a great number of detached masses of light occupied the sky
from 20° south to 10° north of the zenith. These masses of light varied in
shape, but the greater number had somewhat of an oblong form. .They were
separated in some places by clear blue sky, in others they were connected by a
difiused light. They lay in various directions in the zenith, but towards the
horizon they had an appearance of convergeney to the N.W. and S.K, and
thus formed in the aggregate an arch 30° high in the middle, and tapering
towAatr dlh i.t s3 0emxt.r e(2m7itthie)s t.he centre part of the above-mentioned arch or aggregated
masses of light, had dilated so as to occupy the whole sky, except a.clear blue
space of 20 degrees from the northern horizon. The shapes of its component
parts had undergone a material alteration, and were now so arranged .and
blended together as to bear a striking semblance to an immense double curtain
with its ends gathered together in the N.W.b. W...and S.E, at about 10
de&g rees above the horizon; the space beneath being of a clear blu4. eK. 2From the