Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-04-11
From tho Massachusetts Spy of Sept. 5, 1927.

WONDERFUL PHENoMENoN.-On the eve
ming Of the 18th ult., the heavens exhibited
one Of the most sublime and imposing spccta-
Giles ever Witnessed The Aurora Borealis,
or Northern Light, had been seen family a
little previous to the setting of the moon.
Immediately after it set, at few minutes be-
fore ten O'clock, Il splendid zone of light, or
illuminated belt was observed to form itself,
spanning the whole heavens, in direction
nearly from east to west, and declining at lis
apex, few III grecs to the north of the zenith.
1t appeared, when we first noticed it, in the
eastern horizon, about the width of the milky
way, gradually widening, to the elevation of
about tory-tive degrees, when the width be-
came nearly uniform to the western horizon,
and about one-thrd wider than ut the eastern
extremity. The edges were as perfectly de-
fined and regular as if it had been formed of
some solid substance 1t resembed cloud
of highly illuminated vapor, or a belt of brigh.
unburnished silver. Though light it had
none of the fiery appearance, or glow usually
attending the Aurora BorealiS, and, consider
ing its brightness, it did not give so much
light as might have been supposed.
The light was about midway between bright
starlight and moonlight, so that the time of
night could be readily distinguished by
watch. The whole body of the arch moved
gradually to the south, while the particles of
which it was composed apparently flowed,
with great rapidity, and with an undulating,
or ripping motion, from east to west. In this
manner, after about twenty minutes, the arch
gradually receded from the eastern horizon,
then became gradually thinner like a light,
feecy cloud, and finally dissolved away, and
entirely disappeared before eleven o'clock,
having, before it disappeared, passed the ze-
NTH, and declined to an elevation in the
south, of about 80 degrees. When viewed, it
appeared as if it was so low, that, to move a
short distance, north or south, would change
its apparent direction; yet, the fact that it was
seen about the same time, and nearly in the
same direction, from Portsmouth, n. H., to
| Philadelphia, and we know not how much
| farther each way, prov. that it must have
been at an immense distancearom the earth.
| 1t was supposed by some to have been a dense
| vapOr, but that this an erroneous belief is
| evident because the stars were distinctly visi-
BILE through it.
Appearances of this kind are rare, and may
be considered the wonder of an age. The
| Salem Register says that DIR. Holyoke, now
| in his Tooth year, has seen similar belts twice
| before in his life, neither of which were equal
| in splendor to this. They are supposed by
philosophers to proceed from the same cause
as the aurora borealis, though in this case
there was no apparent connection between the
belt and the northern light, a broad space of
the heavens, entirely clear, intervening be-
tween them. But as the arch declined to the
south, the aurora frightened up, and after its
disappearance shone with unwonted brilliance,
shooting up in vivid streaks toward the zenith,
and assuming various fantastic forms, 1t was
also very brilliant on the evening preceding.
AT the time of this singular phenomenon, the
sky was perfectly coudess, the atmosphere
remarkably clear, and so still that not even
the rustling of leaf was to be heard. Itw
altogether grand and imposing spectacle,
calculated to impress the mind with exalted
ideas of the attributes of that Infinite Being,
who ''stretched forth the heavens and laid the
foundations of the EARTH
The accounts given in the various papers
are very similar, but we extract the following
from the New York Commercial Advertiser,
because it details some appearances, which
were, either not visible here, or took place
before our observations commenced.
| sit appeared directly in the west, and re-
sembled bright pillar of light, -something
| in the shape of an inverted ne,-arising
| from below the horizon, and melting away in
to the appearance of light mist at the upper
and broader extremity, which at one time
reached half way up the star-Spangled vault
of heaven. At the left of this principal pillar,
lei, reaching higher up but not so far down at
the left of this, again, was another pillar of
| light, and another and another, perhaps of
| hundred standing exactly in the same ORDER
| and running up in succession like the shorter
strings of an Irish pedal harp, excepting
| that each column was of the same length, and
of course extended farther and farther up, as
| they were successfully shortened at the bot
| toni The appearance was very bright in the
| middle of the columns, but softened down in
to shade, until it merged with the clear blue
| sky on their sides. The lights as we have at.
| tempted to describe them, were nearly sta
tionary for about fifteen minutes, when they
| gradually but rapidly disappeared, leaving
very light floating mist, resembling
| the milky way. In Il few momeats, how
ever a bright phosphorc light shot up again
| in single column, which streamed across the
| whole arch of the heavens, and was lost in
| the eastern horizon. The width was uniform
| and about of the apparent width of the most
| luminous part Of the rainbow. The appear
| ance did not change for several minutes, save
| that it moved in continuous body from south
| to north several degrees and back again
| toward the south. This movement was uni
| form and gentle. Just as the clock struck
eleven, it again dissolved suddenly into a sill
very vapor, which was soon lost to the sight,
leaving not the least trace of a spectacle, no
less unusual and surprising, than grave and
imposing. The light was brighter, more
steady, and more clearly defined, than any ap-
| pearances of Aurora Borealis that we ever
saw. The night was unusually clear-not a
cloud foated in the sky"