Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1870-05-07
The Northern Lights.

Inc Northern Lights
What are they, and what is their origin {?
Ever since the special application of the hui
man mind to the study Ofthe physical sciences
the Norlhcn Lights have afforded opportunity
for the closest observation and the highest eX-
ercise of instructive thought The cmpiric
and me,aphysician alike may here find scope
for activity, either in the rich and promising
fields of the correlation of forces" or the
intricate windlngs of pure logic The many
who witnessed them on the eve of April 2Gtl,
cannot now have forgotten their appearance,
Our attention was first drawn to faint light
near the horizon while viewing a ncbula in
Cassiopera, nearly 10 deg. to the North West.
Suddenly, bright light like n dense column
Of steam shot upward toward the zenith quick
ly followed by others on either side, but at
some distance from the first The upper por.
tion of the first now assumed II beautiful
crimson, and sooner than it can be written, the
whole northern portion Of the heavens were
aglow with scene of grandeur, the true rep
rescntatiOn of which surpasscs the powers of
language. Here and there, in relief were
darling spires and cones Of-light sot in II back.
ground of n gently undulating movement, the
spcndor of which wrcnchcs from the behold
er such cxclamations as grand beyond dis
criptOn"
The question is frequently asked GLOW do the
aurora appear through the telescopcy
The instrument (6 inch aperturc) was now
brought to bear upon one of the denscst col
umns aud wavy movement, through both of
which the stars of every magnitude could be
distinctly seen. The only difference was that
the stars appeared To be somewhat illuminated
but the wnvy motion could not be dsin-
guishcd A faint tinge of color was pcrcepl-
bic. We next looked ut the nchua (rcsolvable
for the most par,) through one Of these rising
columns, which did not seem to be affected.
In the midst Of our wonder the aurora sud
denly ceased, but upon the closest examination,
the northern sky was as clear rs before. But
what Is the solution of this grand problem? In
this advanced age, II is not enough to say that
The aurora Is caused by electricity passing
through the higher regions of the atmosphere,
and, although this opinion seems to be con.
lirmed by the latest researches in science, the
thinking mind goes deeper and invounmrily
asks "llow and Why"
In the absence of posiirc kaopiccgc we are
left to statement Of facts from which we can
only draw conclusions.
1t is strongly suspicioncd that the suA Is the
prime mover of this the greatest of natural
phenomena, and what, were he brourht-with
his spotted iace--to trial before his EQUALS,
his only reply would be "guaty" But what is
the tvidcncey 1st. BY looking over the re.
cords of the past hundr d years, Wolf has
found that he has shown signs of intense nc.
tiyiiy every lth ycar--thc spots then being ut
maximum. end The aurora are more brilliant
when the spots" are greatest in number and
size. These two coincidcnt facts are very inn.
porlanion transporting 0l 000,000 miles away,
the other at our own ieet. Certainly there is
duplicily In this. Tho mind after properly
weighing these facts, can come To but one con.
clusion- that the solar spots and aurora nre
closely related, aud that the latter, In whole or
IN part, Is dependent upon the fluctuations of
our great central lumlnnry. What adds great
cr weight 10 this probability is that the varied
movements ot the magnetic needle are syn
chronous with the maXima Of solar spots
Reason would suggest that the same force in
the sun which would cause the aurorm at the
North would cause the same appearance at the
South p0le-and such we find to be the fact.
The same nndnlating movement and colors,
the samb brilliant flashing aud glory lights up
the southern armament which are seen here.
Nor Is ii confined to the poles ofthe earth; the
aurorn have been seen IN the zenith. under the
tropical sky Of India, by both Hooker and
llumbolt, md we venture The prediction tina.
the time Ia not far distant, when, by increased
appliances of optical instruments and a better
knowledge of the laws of light, the beautiful
aurora will be seen spanning tho whole heav.
ems to either pole
The year 1871 is the time for the greatest
number OF solar spots Int even now their
number Is great.
April Goth, 7Sspots were visible ,(noon > April
goth, no observations; aurora April 27th,
70 spots were visible; (noon D April esth, 20
were visible; ar. M April 20th o. spots
were visible; u, 4. NJ April Goth, 73 spots
(u0on)
Ns observations arc taken in the carly OF
'S's part o' the day da the spots cannot LC
sarh, winch accounts for the decrease of the
numoer one OF these solar spots is especially
prominent on account of lis enormous size ant
continually increasing magnitude, being no
less Than $4,000 miles in diameter. TAirt,
'Oorids iae ours could lay side By side upon Il
saJanc All these facts lead the mind 10 ON
conclusion-that our sun by far the creates
body IN the solar system. Is in n state Of perpc
!. u1cIMhge, and that the existence and respler
II dent beauiy of our anrorD are immediatcl