Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-05-27
Misfellanesus.



ffeQdently seen near the horizon. bear
ing some resemblance to the morning
twilight, whence it has received the
name of aurora. In the northern hem
isphsrs it. is usually termed "aurora
borealis," because it is chiefly seen in
the north. A similar phenomenon il
also seen in the southern hemisphere,
whore it ia called Aurora Australis. -
Each Of them may, with greater pre-
priety, be called Aurora Polaris," or
Polar Light. They exhibit an endless
variety of appearances. In the United
States an aurora 10 uniformly preceded
by hazy or slaty appearance of the
sky, particularly in the neig ghberhood Of
the northern horizon. When the au-
rsral display commences, this hazy por-
tion OF The sky assumes the form of y
dark bank or segment of y circle in the
north. rising ordinarily to the height Of
from i've to ten degrees. This dark sey-
ment is not = cloud, for the stars are seen
thrsagh 1t AS through 4 smoky atmos-
phers, With little diminution of brilli-
ancy. This dark bank is simply q dense
haze, and 1T appears darker from the
contrast with the luminous are which
rests upon it. In high northern lsti-
tudes, when the aurora covers the entire
heavens, the whole sky seems filled with
. dense haze; and in still higher lati
tudes, whore the aurora is sometimes
seen in the south, this dark segment is
observed resting on the southern horizon
and bordered by the aureral light.
Aureras are sometimes observed SIM
ulsanesusly over large PORTIONS OF the
globe. The aurora Of August %, 1853,
was seen throughout more than 140 de-
of JopDifnAa from, E~at.r, T., roOa
ts California; and frsm Jamaica on the
south to an unk nown distance in Brit
ish America on the north. The aurora
Of September 2, 1859, was seen at the
Sandwich islands; it was seen through
out the whole of North America and
Europe; and the disturbance of the
magnetic needle indicated its presence
throughout all Northern Asia, although
the sky was overcast, 50 that at many
places it could not be seen. An aurora
was seen at the same time in South
America and New Holland. The au-
roras of September 25, 1S41, and No
vsmber II, 1848, were almost equally ex-
tensivs.
The height of large number of au-
rsras has been computed, and the aver
age result for the upper limit Of the
streamers 10 $50 miles. From . multi
tuds of observations it is concluded that
tho aurora seldom appears at An eleva-
tiOn less than about 45 miles above the
earth's surface, and that it frequently
extends upward to an elevation of 5OO
miles. Auroral arches having = we'll
defined border are generally less than
100 milse in height.
AurorAs are very unequslly distributed
over the sarth's surface. They occur
most frequently in the higher latitudes,
and are almost unknown within the
tropics. At Havana, in latitude % de-
grees, but six aurUras have been record
ed within hundred years, and south
of Havana auroras are still more unfre-
quent. As we travel northward from
Cuba, aursrAs increase in frequency and
brilliancy they rise higher in the heav-
ems, and 0ftener ascend to the zenith
Near the parallel Of 40 degrees we fnd
on an average only ten aurorss annual
ly. Near the parallel Of AZ degrees the
average number 10 twenty annually;
near 45 degrees the number 10 forty and
near the parallel of so deg rees it amounts
to eighty annually. Between this point
and the parallel Of 81 degrees auroras, =.
during the winter, are seen almost every
night. They appear high in the heavens,
and as often to the south as asths,north. In
regions further north they are seldom
seen except in the south, and from this
point they diminish in frequency and
brilliancy ~ we advance toward the
pole. Beyond latitude 81 degrees the
average number Of auroras is reduced to
forty annually. Beyond latitude 81 de-
gress it is reduced to twenty; and near
latitude 7s degrees it is reduced to ten
annually.
Aurorai exhibitions take place in the
upper r-yisns Of the atmosphere, since
they partake of the earth's rotation All
the celestial bodies have an apparent
molten from east to west, arising from
the rotation Of the earth but bodies be-
lenging to the earth, including the At