Auroric Light

Abstract

As Mr. W. H. Preece records the magnetic storms, if not too much trouble would he record what took place on the night of January 16?—as at midnight there was all the appearance of a grand display; but as the windows were all frost-masked, and my only place of observation was exposed to a cutting wind that would have “shaved a cast-iron policeman,” to quote Punch, I could not observe what took place. I should also like to know why the grand displays this winter are of white lights. Those I saw in previous years—the best being while stationed in West Galway between 1867 to 1872—were principally red lights, some of them being most brilliant between midnight and morning, while all of them this year have been best early in the night, all lights usually disappearing before or a little after eleven. I am used to white lights in the summer months, but I never before saw them so prominent in the winter months—main lights, cross lights, and glows being white; while usually, each respectively have different colours. I have not seen an aurora that changes so much in character as the last, except that of September, 1867 or 1868 (I think, but I have not my notes to give the exact year). That of 1867 or 1868 was a grand display, rising in a red mass to the zenith, and then shooting out pencils of red, green, white, purple, and orange lights.