Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-10-08
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.
Lemstron's ConcIusion's-AurOr Bo-
reals Manufactured by Man.
New York Times.

AenstrOhs COuclusIOn' S. aurora no
reals Manufactured by Man.
New York Times.
But let US leave the domain of
theory and see what has been found
in the realm of facts regarding this
strange and beautiful display. 1t may
seem singular TO say that the north>
ern lights have been manufactured by
man-made to order, SO to speak-but
such is really the case, or, at least,
claimed by Professor Lemstrom- TIA
charge of the Finnish International
Meteorological Station at Sodankyla,
Finland. A copper wire mounted on
telegraph poles was wound around
the apex of a small hill, covering
about 5000 square yards, from top to
bottom, in a spiral course as it ascend
ed the hillside grade, points like those
on a lightning rod pointing upward
being fastened to the wire every foot
and a half, one end being connected
with conducting metallic disk sunk
in the earth. Many interesting ex-
periments were made with this singu-
lar apparatus, but the most startling
was when it was used by nature itself
and, the air seemingly overcharged
with electrical force, an auroral glow
sprang into the air from the multitude
of points, which light, analysed by
the spectrum, was identical with that
of the northern lights. From this
fact, indeed, Lemstrom very natur-
ally concluded that the aurora bor-
calls was a terrestrial display,
or very near the surface of the earth,
but in these CLAIMS he has been stout
ly contested by others, many of
whom claim that the distance has
been measured to a considerable de-
gree of accuracy, and they all agree
that it is quite high, supra atmospher-
ic, supposing the air 10 be forty>six
miles deep.
1t is too much within the domain Of
dry mathematics to discuss at length
the different methods employed by
different observers: to determine the
height, but the results attained would
be interesting, no doubt Lemstrom,
as nave said, though it might reach
to the ground, and has produced it in
an artificial way therefrom. Sir John
Ross. [ believe it was, who said that
ne and some compan ions distinctly
saw a brilliant ray of the aurora pass
between him and high snow cover
ed hill not many miles distant. Sir
John Franklin's measurements in
North America show it to be seven
miles high. The French at Bossekep,
Norway, as early as 1889, got it up
to between so and 100 miles. Tromhelt
puts it at about 70, and he has made
more measurements and studied this
part OF the subject closer than most
physicists. Norsdenskjold the Arctic
explOl er, puts it at 118 miles, which
Professor Fearnley follows closely at
124, and Newton gets but 5 miles
more, Or $50, as result of his deduc~
tons. Somewhere in the vicinity of
the numbers given above will probS
ably be found the true values, if they
are ever determined, and it may be
that all are within the true limits, for
like the clouds, as one of the above
authors remarks, the auroral displays
may be found to have wide limits in
their heights, Bergman does not rest
contented, however, until he has pub>
lished the height at 1876 miles, Marian
485 and Boscovich at 1926. Ihave not
given all authorities, but probably
the most reliable and the greatest ex>
tremes.
The extent of the auroraI displays
over the world Is not uniform, the
United States being the most favored,
while Siberia, opposite to us across the
pole, but much further north, is the
least. New York City has about the
same frequency of auroral displays as
St. Petersburg and London, and also
as Siberia, more than half way up the
Behring Sea coast, fully 1, 500 to 1000
miles nearer the pole. They are seen
as far south as Cuba, Central Mexico,
Yucatan and Cape St. Lucas on the
American Continent, while in Asia
they are unknown in Pekin, and al
most so in the Japanese Islands,
Southern Europe, on the latitude of
New York City, being just within the
linaits of visibility. In general, it is
seen about ], 400 miles further south
on the Western Continent side, than
il is on the Eastern, or just the dis
lance the magnetic poll is from the
true or geographical one, pulled over
tHe saLne Sue, SO TO speak. IL Delng
just north Of our continent. It thus
plainly shows that the magnetic pole
is central point from which the au
roral force in some unknown way is
dependent. The magnetic pole, ap,
proximately speaking is on longitude
100 degrees west from Greenwich.
and on that meridian the displays are
more frequent than other points of the
same latitude.