The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-01
SECRET oFTHE AURORA BoBEALIs
Recent Discoveries Explained.

The London Spectator has for some months
distinguished teelf by series of astronomical
articles, combining full scientific information
with popular interest. The latest is the fol-
lowing, published in that paper on October 8,
and explaining some recent discoveries of i'm
portance, tending to explain the true nature
of the Northern Lights
Men of science have long felt that strange
secret lay hidden in the brilliant folds OF the
aurora. The magic arch, with its pointed
streamers shifting silently but swiftly across
the heavens, pulsating mysterio'lsly as though
Illuminated by the fitfnly changing glow Of
some concealed furnace, and rendered sur
passingy beautiful by the brilliancy of its COL
ors. had always had strange charms for men Of
thoughtful mind. And gradually series OF Ia
borious researches had revealed the laws which
associate this beautiful apparition with dis
turbances affecting the economy of our whole
earth, and not indstinctly connected with the
'habitudes of the solar system itself. But re-
Gently u discovery has been made which Is
even more remarkable than any which had
ever before rewarded the labor of physicists
asliscovery at once instructive and perpleX-
inr, revealing q bond of union between the
aurora and phenomenon hitherto thought to
be quite different in character, but leaving US
still to learn what the exact nature o! That
bond of union may be. Let us consider what
had been learned respecting auroral displays
and their relation to the earth's economy.
We had occasion lately to point out sudden
disturbance in the sun in 1859 which had been
presently followed by intense magnetic action,
the whole electric system of the earth CULVER
ing, so to speak, under the influence of the
solar forces cduced by the disturbance. And
we mentioned that among the signs of this
magnetic action brilliant displays of the aurO-
raj streamcrS had been witnessed in both hem
ispheres on the night following the solar dis
turbance. This circumstance teaches us the
true character of the aurora as strikingly as
any which astronomers and physicists had
patiently been gathering together during the
past half century. We learn at once that Il
relation subssts between the aurora, terrcs-
trial magnetism, and the central lumnary Of
our scheme.
And even if we were to pause here, we
should have learned enough to indicate the
significance and Importance of the aurora.
Our earth, we may be sure, Is not the only re-
cipIent Of that mystic influence which rOuses
into activity the phenomena we term mag
netic. Over the whole realm which it rules,
the central orb sends forth the strange cleo
trio impulses. When our skies are Illuminated
by the magic strcamers, we may be sure that
those of Venus and of Mars, of Jupiter and Of
Saturn, nay even the skies of those unseen
orbs which travel far out in space beyond the
paths OF Uranus and Neptune, are lit up with
allroral displays. When once il has been
shown that we owe our aur0ras to solar ac-
ton. we recognize the cosmical character OF
the display, and that in scene, the terrestrial
magnetism on which it depends is bond OF
affinity between our earth and its sister Orbs.
But while we were thus taught the trre sig
nificance or the aurora, we were left Ii; doubt
as to the way in which the solar action aroused
the electric luminosity in the upper regions Of
our air. We could not even tell at what cleva-
ton the light was suspended above our earth.
The most eminent physicists differed in the
views as to the possibility of learning where
the magic streamers really wave when we see
them most distinctly. While Arago had held
that to attempt to measure the height of the
aurora was as futile as to attempt TO measure
the height of a rainbow, Sir John Herschel
considered that precisely the same laws OF
measurement might be applied to the aurora
as to any object raised high above the earth.
One point, however, was well determined.
The auroral lights are undoubtedly to be as
crlbed to electric action taking place at very
considerable height, where the air is very rare
indeed. 1t became, therefore, question
whether anything could be learned by analyz-
ing the auroral light, as to the condition of
that particular part of our atmosphere in
which the electric action takes place.
Spectroscopic analysis, that strange and
powerful mode of research which has revealed
so many unlooked-for facts, was accordingly
applied to the light, of a brilliant aurora. The
result was rather surprising. Instead Of