Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-09-22
NORTHERN TRIBUNE.
SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER 8, 1883.
THE GLORY OF THE HEAVENS.
A Brilliant Display.


the display is so extraordinarily beauti
full, that, in spite of its frequency, il
cannot fail to exact general interest an(
admiration. The north may have pre-
sented more fiery spectacles than tht
one of last Sunday night; but never die
Aurora POlaris shake her blazing locks
with more animOsity and passion, OF
treat mOrtals to more brilliant, more
gorgeous, more varying, and more
lifelike display of colOrs than she did
on this occasion.
AbOut.9 o'clock two luminous arches
like double rainbow, spanned the
northern armament, whilst to form a
contrast dark cloud could be seen
slightly lifting its brow above the hOri-
zOn. The upper arch passed a few de-
grees to the south of the zenith, whilst
the lower divided the heavens about half
way between this point and the dark
cloud below; the rest of the northern
sky was only family illuminated, in
fact its light might easily have been
mistaken for the reflection Of the moon,
which at that moment shOne in all the
placidity of its glory. Up to the present
all was yet so devoid of brilliancy and
scintillatiOn that to one accustomed to
the sight of Northern Lights. the specta-
Gle offered but little promise. However,
not more than quarter of an hour
elaDses before the scene takes on an unex-
pected change; in an instant all is
motion, all is glow, all is life. First,
from the keystone of the upper arch,
rocket. as it were, suddenly shoots down
towards the lower arch; in spite of its
rapid flight. it stops, however, when just
Oh ihe point of piercing the same, and
quicker than thought could metamOr-
phose it, the dart changes to sheaf of
light, the sheaf into a sheet, and this,
shaking, winding, and unfolding, with
4 sweep across tho northern sky, spreads
itself out toward the west, until met by
a similar wave, which at the same time
has developed in the opposite region. and
is now slowly advancing toward the
east. One single instant measures the
time of the grand transformation, yet,
in this instant, scene transpires so
brilliant, so changing, and so gorgeous
in its display, that the Inauguration
may depict it to itself, but the pen utter
ly fails to describe it. The haze between
the two original arches has become
vast mantle of light, now crimson, now
white, now yellow, now violet, now green,
now blue, or, rather in its waving folds
displaying all the cOlOrs at once, so in
tense being its motion, so rapid its Vi
SO numerous its scintillatiOns.
that the eye witnesses the changes, but
fails to follow up the transformations.
To lend contrast, the mantle is bordered
with dark fringe, dividing it from the
bright lower arch, whilst black collar,
a small, but very luminous,
half circle, forms the attachment of the
garment to the keystone of the upper
arch.
The spectacle continued for cOnsid-
,rable time, and yet it changed and in
5erchanged so rapidly, that continuously
t offered new beauties, and compelled
The spectator to confess that he might
nave seen more Illuminating displays,
)ut never any finer nor more interest
ng.
Polar lights have at all times formed |
IN object of great interest, and one can
'asily understand that before science
lad succeeded in unravelling some of
he secrets Of meterology, Aurora
'Olaris to the popular mind was
ull of mysteries and most Ominous
varings; some saw war in it, others
he passage Of the exterminating angel.
'o-day, fear gives away to admiration
nd rapture, for in 1t we see no longer
but the most resplendend of
neteorologic displays; and as we gaze at
Is shooting rays, its expanding stream
rs and its ever changing colors, we
uietly and revsrently confess that the
heavens tell Gods glory" What a
lorious conquest Of sciencel What a
triking instance of science becoming
he handmade Of faith In speaking
owever Of science in connection with
.urora Polaris we do not wish to be un-
erstood as presuming that science can
an tell us all about it; many mystery
emains still to be cleared up, nor do we