The Press., 1884-11-27
(Hartfords sCourant.) THE RED SUNSETS.


 The rf q sunsets have come again and begin to excite the same wonder and dis cnasi0n that those of last year called out. While most people are content to enjoy these without question, there are others who cannot be easy without attempting to account for them. There are few people, who have been there, who say that a sim liar red phenomenon is daily exhibited be- fore sunrise; but this obtains no general credencs and is looked upon as 8 mere lure to get people up before breakfast is ready. Doubtless there are interesting events talk ing place in theS early morning. A very early riser (not by habit) a few mornings ago saw a brilliant spectacle. The moon, a slender silver crescent, sailing upright, like shallop in the sky, had just above 1t, like the Moslem orrihamme on the badge of secret society, Venus, the morning star, blazing and scintillating like ten thou sand Khoinoors, making the moon-silver to diamonds-almost pale in .its, radiance. If the sky at that moment had been rcd as reported the spectator would bave-been warranted in ringing the alarm bells and waking up the town to witness such a gor- geous display.
 There are some philosophers who always find in natural phenomena a moral sig-
 
 political significance. They note that the sunsets did not really begin this year with any brilliancy till after election During October there was so much procession- ing and torch-hght and red light, the towns were so illuminated and the horizons were 0 generally ahame that the brilliant sum- sets were not missed or were snot noticed. After the election 1t was necessary to have some celebrating done, even in the uncer- tainty, and the red sunsets set it. The democrats take. them as the rejoicing of nature atstheir victory, and sthe repubi- cans regard them as warning lights pre- saging the reckless: :attempt of the demo- crats to paint the country red. These are idle theories.
 Some people will have it that the airs is thick with cosmic dust a dust just per vading the track of the universe in which the earth is travelling and that this medi- um is exactly dense enough to produce to our sightsthe red ray by refraction. As no one knows what cosmic dust is,y or whence 1t could come, thiss theory cannot be disputed. The notion that obtained last year-attributing the redness to the dust sent into the atmosphere from the eruption of the volcano in Java-was pre- scented and maintained by some of the ablest astronomers. We have not yet heard from them on the recurrence of the phenomenon this year. --- We are. not yet told what became of the dirt and the red sunsets during the political campaign, nor why if 1t is caused by volcano dust the phenomenon should have been suspended so long.s tI3has been suggested that the explosion of gases in the volcano was so violent that dust and vapor were sent up beyond our atmosphere and beyond the at traction!of.. ..grayitation and. remain float ing there in space. According to this the ory we passed: through thissdust and vapor late last spring, and, in our orbit, have again sscomei around to it-and therefore the beautiful display has begun again. But it is month later. Last year il be- gan in October, directly after the volcanic explosion; this year it occurred in Novem- Der, directly after the, explosion of the election. But there is theory-not a very good one-to account for this delay of month. When the mass was thrown up.into' space it had forward impulse, that IS it partook of the motion of the earth In its orbit but as this dust vapor was very light in specific gravity, and thin, it moved very slowly, and when it was left behind by the earth it travelled only dls- tance measured by month while the earth was measuring the distance of year. We have therefore caught up with it g month late. This theory is not patanted. It should be added that the dust has grown thin in the meantime and consequently the sunset displays are not now equal to those of last year. If they should become so, If the red skies should later on, become as red as last year., we shall have new theory.for the change. srgg ss4 FyF