Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-02-23
CRIMSON NORTHERN LIGHTS.
Remarkable Aurora IN Northern
Latitudss


Shortly after suudowu a be uti'ul
crimson aurora spread over tine north
erD borizln, extending nearly to the
zenith. This polar electrical manifes-
tation surpassed in brilliaucy any ever
seen in Oregon. Resting on base Of
! purple mist was a band some five de-
grees wide of pale icy green, above
which rested the aurora proper. Be
ginning in a pale pink it deePened into
a dark crimson, at twenty five degrees
above the earth, glowing a dull red in
the center and suffusing half the sky
with a ruby tint.
The vast crimson curtain was most
beautifully adorned. Great bars Of all
very and golden light shot athwart the
fields Of red, which were pierced every
where by the bright silver stars Of
cloudless night. The Great Dipper
hung In the middle Of the magnificent
scene. The electric lights of the city
and the eIght-thDusRnd candie-power
arc-lights on the state house dome
formed as 1t were the footlIghts for the
heavenly spectacle. The great columns
of light shot upward and moved grad
ually westward, the last traces dying
out at nine O'Clock. Thousands wit
messed the beautiful sight 50 rarely
seen in Oregon, because only seen in
frosty weather,
THE AURORA BOREALIs.
Professor Cochran, of the chair of
natural sciences Of Willamette univer.
sity, prepared the following for The
JOURNAL:
In all the northern regions of the
earth the aurora borealis, or Northern
lights" is aa occasional phenomenon.
Near and within the Arctic circle, it oc-
ours almost every night. Around the
south polar regions of the globe, the
same is observed. As seen by US, in
the middle lattitudes, the aurora usually
consists Of streaks or streamers, not well
defined, of various colurs, from pale
yellow to crimson, as last night. The
streamers have a fiickerlng motion, re-
sembling the sheet discharges of elec.
tricity from u plate-eiectric.mach in
the dark. These streaks seem TO form
an arch across the northern SKY. This
effect is probably partly dIe to "per-
spective." The aurora is often accom-
panied by a magnetic storm, which
, affects the compass needles over large
regions of the globe.
There is remarkable, but poorly uu-
derstood connection be weal great
magnetic storms, great ausprls ami the
violent storms which rage on the sur
face of the sun. This connection is
argued from the fact, lha ABOUT every
eleven and oue-ha'f years, The sun
spots and solar storms are frequent, and
that these periods of frequency agree
quite closely with the periods Of north
ern light frequency. No completely
satisfactory theories, regarding the con-
nections between the two, have az yet
been offered.
Theories, as to he actual facts of the
auroral lights themselves, are quite
we'll confirmed. The spectroscope
shows that the light is due to gaseous
matter, acted on by electric discharges.
Geissler tubes give good Illustration
of this. Let glass tubes be filed with
air, nitrogen, or other gases, aud after
exhausting them with an air pump, to
high degree of ratification, let them
be hermetically sealed, aud then in a
dark room be subjected 10 electric dis
charges. The gases filling them will
glow with beautiful colors, rarified air
g wing a red cllor, similar to the red
seen last night, rhis gives support to
Franklin's theory of the aurora, that
vast electric discharges are occurring
high up (in the rare regions of the at
mosphere, perhaps l2O or 200 miles
above the EARTH between the cold air
Of the polar regions aud the warmer
streams of air aud vApor raised from
the ocean Level IN tropical ATTITUDES,
by the suns heat.
Different strata Of air are found to
have, oftentimes, great differences of
what the electrician calls a potential"
or rise, sometimes, of over fprty volts
IN going from one layer to another
foot higher. Also the air ls generally
charged positively vita electricity dur
ing fine weather and negatively In foul
weather. IL these positive aud mega
tive conditions are sufficiently near,
there may be discharges from one TO the
other, either violent or quiet. The diff
ferent conditions OF the higher layers
Of air AT the polar regions and at the
tropical and middle latitude regions,
may furnish the difference in regard to
positive and negative, aud the rarity OF
the upper air may furnish the conduc-
tivity needed 10 produce the discharges, !
which rfeen.hla Tho familiar eolors eaan