The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1883-12-22
THE STRANGE RED LIGHT.
Prof Hastiugs's Comment on the Many
Their Brought Forward.


From the Baltimore sun.
The peculiar red lights in the heavens
each evening engage the attention of
scientific men as we'll as excite the curl
| osity of people generally. AS yet moth
| ing definite has been ascertained about
them, and it is more than likely that some
months will pass before any satisfactory
explanation will be offered i'll this connec-
ton. Frof. Chas. S. Hastings, of Johns
| Hopkins University, said last night: IN o
prudent man of science has at present
| any notion of what it is. l have never
known anything of this kind. One or
two evenings of such light would hardly
excite comment, bat it's continuance for
weeks is very extraordinary. Your read
ers must wait and be patient. 1t is use
less to speculate" Prof. Hastings ex-
planned that scientists are now as usual
collecting data all over the world, and
that the strange glow in the heavens each
evening will be noted. All the observa-
tions will be compared and decision
reached. The observations will come
from different sections of the United
States, and from Australia, Cape of Good
Hope, South America, Europe an! China.
The only way is to collect these statistics,
carefully arrange them and discass the
subject. No one is justified III forming
an opinion until this has been done thor
oughly. One of the most important
questions i, as to its extent. Is it local
Ill ~. =
atmosphercal, s. the question would then
be, Is it due to something not in the at
mosphere ordinarily, or to something Or
dinarly there but now in different con-
dition? The solving of these and other
points is likely 20 take some time, but a
few months will bring the data from
abroad, and then some idea can be formed
of the origin of the light. If observers
all over the world observe the light sim
ultaneously, it's cosmical origin will be
established. Cosmical means relating TO
the solar system as whole, and not to
the earth alone.
If the cause Of the light does not lie ON
the surface it will be very difficult to dis
cover. The way will be to establish
hypothesis and subject it to criticism.
Messrs. Able and Upton are thought by
Prof. Hastings the best authorities on the
subject. aud they have given no opinion
Mr.. Able is the scientific head of the
United States signal service at Washing
ton, and Mr.. Upton is his assistant.
Referring to the number of theories
advanced Prof. Hastings said: 1t is not
zodiacal light, fer that is not red. Dry
air? That is colorless so far as known
Aqueous vapor? The cclors of sunset
are due to vapor and dust. ta-t vaq.ir is
always present i'll the atmosphere and
does not explain this light. Volcanic
gases? These are not supposed to be
sufficiently abundant. Comets tail? The
nearest comet is 80, 900, 900 of miles from
the earth. with its tail turned from the
EARTH Meteoric dust? In 1888 and 1867,
when there were millions of meteors there
were no such sunsets, and this experience
is against such a supposition. The suns
red light This is no reason, for it is
always present. The objection to the
electrical theory is that there are no cor
responding extraordinary electrical dis
turbances recognized. A matter of this
kind, if it depended ON electrical disturb
ances could not exist, it Is thought, with
out other electrical phenomenons.
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