Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1856-06-10
Origin OF The Aurora Bor cal S.

/ 81 de La Rive, the celeb.a ated Genevan natural
philosopher, has recently published long
memoir the Aurora Rorealis aud which he
has attempted to account for with apparent sue
Cess Perhaps no phenomenon in the world i.
more beautiful than these magnetic tempests.
I [ Won Humboldt, which in the Arctic regions
nils the heavens with sea of flame M de la
Rive attrib ties them to eleetro-nayne;lc cans
es The terrestrial globe, he says uniformly acts
] as large magnet, and lis magnetic poles do
not coincide with its poles of rotation further
more. the atmosphere is continually CHARGED
with positive electricity, which is accumulated
In ITS superior regions, and this electricity
(whether 1t Is disengaged by the vegetation OF
the earth. or the continual evaporation caused
by the solar heat, philosophers have not vet de-
terinlned) must be expended and netraiized, or
the electrical tension of the al tmosphere instead
OF being contained within its actual limits would
60 on constantly increasing In our attitudes
ana under the equator, this discharge il effected
by thunder-stormS, rains, winds and water
spouts but these do no, suffice they are oure
ly accidental, and nature is obliged to resort to
more regular and constant method OF operating
the electrical naturalization. He supposes that
the positive electncltwwhich abounds in the
superior regions of the atmosphere moves with
perfect liberty in them from their extreme rari-
faction. and that 1t takes advantage of Ills fa
cilify to 60 the How, (ocoume,d,) which is great
~ aided by the immense quantity of frozen par
tIcies floating in the air. Here, instead Of re-
turning to the ground in a single flash As we see
1t, through clouds of liquid particles, it reverts
to the ground by gradually passing from frozen
piTIcie TO frozen particle, exciting by partial
discharges Innumerable small aigreties, Which
slnSly are invisible, and vet whose total seen
together presents the beautiful appearance Of the
Aurora Borealis. and which having reached the
earth give rise to different currents. which re-
act III turn on the magnetic needle Ii NAV be
asked why the phenomenon is concentrated
around The circumference of circle, ard is pro-
i"nge@1n parallel columns, and is placed on a
line Of magnetic axis of the globe, and why Is
1t animated with undulator. motion going
from tie West TO East, (for these phenomena
accompany the Aurora Borealis;l this ques ion
Is solved by slight change introduced into the
we'll known experiment of the electrical ego. -
which consists IN transmitting elect iricIty from
one to the other pole IN receiver from which
the air has beeen exhausted NJ. de In Rive
Inagneize~, at will, one of The. two poles when
either Is 'niigneiized, the common phenomenon
takes place, but soon as he magnetizes either
OF them, the light Is distributed so as TO form \
ring, whlch Is very much like the Aurora Bo-
reals and like 1t animated by a gyratory mo-
tloH En- res'aae, NJ. de la Rive holds that the
Aurora borealls Is owing to electrical discharge,
taking place IN the polar regions, between the
terrestrial globe and the atmosphere bv means
OF ley particles suspended in it there, while the
charge takes place III the equatorial regions by
the direct or indirect action ot the SUM- These
electrical discharges take place constantly but
with varying intensity, according to the state
OF the atmosphere, the Aurora Borealis must be
daily pheHnmeHon, although with differing
nienseness ats visibility extends consequently
to varying distances, and depends also upon the
transparency of the atmosphere during the
night.