Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-12-01

! From the New York SUM- l.
The surprising sunset spectacle Of Tuesday
| evening was in part repeated last evening but
| in much less striking form, and the display
also lasted much shorter time. The red glow
did not entirely disappear from the western
| heavens on Tuesday until about an hour and a
half after sunset. 1t is singular fact, consider
ing the extraordinary nature OF the phenomenon.
that on the evening OF November ga similar
appearance was seen after sunset in Surrey,
England. On that occasion the atmospheric
glow lasted an hour and forty minutes after the
disappearance OF the sun, and it was also fol-
lowed the next evenirtsby less brilliant and
briefer display of the same sort. The proba-
| and its modified repetition last night were
similar in origin to the appearances seen in
England is very strong. The cause was IN
doubtedly in the atmosphere. but whether it
was the result of an abnormal condition of the
air itself, producing extraordinary retroactive
effects or of the presence of some rejecting
matter in the upper regions of the atmosphere
cannot perhaps be definitely settled
One explanation OF the phenomenon which
was put forth yesterday was that bank of
| clouds happened to be so placed that 1T inter-
cepted the rays of sunlight which would ether
| wise have passed high above our heads and re-
| Elected them upon the city. The fact that the
! same phenomenon was witnessed in POugh-
keepsie in Hartford and in Boston would alone
! suffice to dispose Of that theory even If there
were not other objections to it. But the Ordi-
nary phenomena of sunset are we'll understood,
| and 1t is evident that some very unusual condi-
! ton of things must have existed in the atmos-
| phere to produce the appearances that were
witnessed. Cirrus clouds floating at an eGorm-
Gus height sometimes greatly prOl0ng the visi-
| bity OF the sunset cOlOrs, but If the red glow
! of Tuesday night was caused by reflective mat
| ter in the upper portion Of the atmosphere, that
matter must have been at q greater height that
clouds are known to reach.
| The suggestion that it might have been me-
| teOric dust is at least an interesting one. The
| atmosphere for several days has presented a
more or less haZy appearance, and during the
| last four or five weeks meteOrs in unusual num-
bers have been Seen both in this country and
England. The earth has also only recently passed
across the track of the November meteors
That meteoric dust may be found at height
very much greater than that which the lightpst
clouds ever reach is apparent when we consider
| that most meteOrs are consumed a hundred
| miles or more above the surface of the earth,
and the products of their combustion find their
| way slowly down through the atmosphere 1t
| is not impossible. also. that the earth in its
| Journey through space, sometimes encounters
| meteorlc matter which is already in the cond-
| ton of dust, and which slowly filters down
! through the air.
| Whatever the cause may be. there have GER
tainly been some most surprising atmospheric
phenomena in the last two or three months in
several quarters of the globe. India. Ceylon
and South America have recently been treated
TO the spectacle Of green sun and green
| moon, and now in more northern countries we
are having the evening skies set afame with
strange reflections. The inhabitants of the
earth sometimes behold marvellous sights in
| their travels through the universe under the
guidance of the journeying SUM-