The Fremont County record. [volume] (Canon City, Colo.) 1877-18??, 1881-02-19
MOON MYSTERIES.
A Phenomenon of Extraordinary
Brilliancy.
Canon City Saluted by a Celestial
Wonder.
A Halo and Paraselen@ OF Mangificent
Proportions.
CAUSE AND EFFECT.

: Monday last was not an unusually
cold day, vet it was disagreeable and
to some extent damp and cloudy.
Whenever the sun was cloudless it
was noticed that it was accompanied
by "sun-dogs or the attendant i'm
ages called. in scientific term, par
helia. Just before dark the clouds
dissansansd eniisal6 ,6a, g. 4ss,sgt hen rbs rhS
was visible the most brilliant display
ever witnessed iu the west COM
menced.
From Appelton's Encyclopedia we
condense the simple causes of this re-
markable sight as follows:
Paraselena is TO the moon what
parhelia is TO the sun. A parhelion
is an aitendent image. more or less
distinct of the SUMS disk, which may
appear with any halo, at one, two or
more points. near the sun. They are
only caused when a fine ice mist in
teryenes between the observer and tie
luminary. These crytals incline
chiefly to the form of hexagonal
prisms and the halo is produced by
the refraction and decomposition of
light passing through certain angles
of these. For in any refracting angle
of prism there exists minimum
angle of deviation, dependent on the
density of the angle. The minimum
deviation of decomposed ray occurs
when the angle of reiraction is just
half the refracting angle of the
prism used. To produce the ring it
is only necessary TO imagine the mi
mute prisms of ioe floating or de-
scending through the air in all posi-
lions but, owing to the resistance
presented by the air to the action of
their weight, taking especial hori-
zontal and vertical directions.
The white horizontal and ver-
Ical bands can be explained
by reflection from the verti-
cal faces of crystals, descending in q
calm air and in ali possible azimuths.
The paraselen1 may be considered as
being the intensified effect at certain
points of a greater condensation of
the dispersed rays at the angles Of
minimum dispersion, so that they
are 10 the halo what the halo is to
the difused light thrown on the sur
rounding cloud. The explanation of
the simple parts is quite satisfactory,
that of the more complicated and pc
culiar phenomena are extremely diff
Cutt anu Csti thts w SNEASthSo III
general way by a variety of changes,
including reflection and double re-
fractions of which light is capable,
and to the probable effects of extra
ordinary forms and combinations of
the crystals.
EFFECT.
So far as we have been able to
search 30 satisfactory description OF
the display as seen here or elsewhere
has ever been written, and there is
no pen in existence which is capable
of bringing out that beauty to the in
tensity needed to make 1t accurate
and complete. The cut at the head
of these columns is an excellent out
line OF the appearance seen here, but
fails entirely in giving to the reader
an idea of the beauty of its varied
movements. its colors and its mag
nificence. The first scene was the
moon rising. in front of whose face
appeared u gossamer veil of crystals.
through which the white rays of
light were shining, more beautifully
Intensified than are the beams upon u
voluptio1s summers night. From
the upper and lower surfaces white
spangles of light shot up and down
iuto the frost filed atmosphere and
disappeared in space. Upon either
side aud in beautiful proximity for
the result brought about, were two
images OF tho moon, rejecting TO ~
from the ice prissDs the rcd and
orange, the violet and tho green Of
tho rainbow, Softcnod and modified
by the mildcr rays causing them.