Smyrna times., 1859-09-08
Views on the Aurora Borealis.
SEPT. :, 1859.

DEPT <, 1909.
Mr.. EDIrOG We had another beautiful
display of the Aurora BDrealis, or Northern
Light, last night. aud | have been amused in
hearing the different opinions and signs which
some of the >uperstItlnus think will follow
for instance, lcar. hard winter, &c; and mas
much as you have mol given any definition of
the cause, thought PROBABLY 1t would settle
the minds of some of the credulous or SUPER
stitious, to give the reasons. as taught 10 me
in my schoolboy days, The general opinion is
that there are certa!n steans, eXha alatIOus or
Vapors that rise from mIues, volcanoes, &c =,
which are suiphurious aud Ihddmmable, aud,
being so very fine and tho, float in the air, a nd
necessarily aud naturally, according TO their
iorce or Gel l-rlty, shoot upward toward the
zenith aud though these steams very wide
below, yet they will in their ascent appear py-
ramVdica or TO terminate IN point at their
highest or vertical eXtenis; but sometimes
they shoot even beyond the zenith itself. but
then expand, vanish, or are lost TO the sight,
ANY one would naturally think they must pro-
eeed from something intl4mnIable, for they have
the very action of light and lightning, except
it be that those ascend, beIng light aud very
fine, whilst Ightn'ng deoccnds by force aud ex-
ploslnn. NJ.
Our correspondent will find on our first pa
some philosophical ideas upon the subject that
NAV be worthy OF consideration. writer in
the PhiladeIphIa Ledgcr altr butes the phe-
nomenon to aSceHdiHg Pec rIcliy, while below
we have still another view from writer in the
lancaster Express, who, after describing its
general appearance, says:
"These hee'Isg phosphorescent clouds dis.
played all the phenUmeua ot expansion, move
/
that point being Tue zenith. that ram
clouds do 10 a thunder Storm. The Only differ
ence IN the two, being the great space covered
IN a few moments by the magnetic Clouds.
al have often observed The Aurora Burealis,
but | never before 10. iced us action to resem-
Bile a storm SO much as Oh his occasion. Aud
never before saw d lIght from 1t so strong nd
durable as thus Top, ned my compas and found
the needle slightly agtlaled, but 1t vIbra ed only
to the ~, and left of IT, true position.
pnoresceut yapOr that spread over
SO much Of the visible heavens III one hour had
much the appearance OF neUul0us matter where
it occasionally occurred IA separate clouds or
patches. Three meteors shot across the zenith
between eight and nine, OF the ordinary ap-
pearance But, like thnnderstOims, winch Oc-
casonalIy come without rain, the magnetic
storm came aud passed away without shower
Of stars."
The displays Of the aurora borealis has been
the subject of remark in various parts Of the
country. At New York the telegraph wires
were SO much surcharged with electricity
part of the time as to prevent their working.
The Harrisburg (Pa) Union states that during
display one Of the operators in the Harrisburg
telegrs ph tifice chanced to touch the wire, and
was thrown, by the violence of shock which
he received, across the room. The Union
therefore comes to tue conclusion that the pbe-
nomena of the northern lights may be ascrlbed
to electricity, and long disputed question of
science is definitely explained by the action Of
the magnetic telegraph.
Our exchanges from the East and from the
West, from points as far north as Toronto, as
far west as Cincinnati aud Louisville, contain
more or less glowing descriptions OF the aurora
borealis, or magnetic storm. OF Sunday night
The variety of coIors, rapidly OF movement,
and duration of the display appear 10 have been
even greater TO the west Of US than here.
II is, says the North American lndIsputable
now that a simple excess of atmospheric elec-
li,cny produces the light and all lIs singular