Indescent Clouds

Abstract

A STRIKING phenomena, apparently a new phase of the cloud-glows, was widely witnessed here on the 13th, and I myself noticed it, though on a much less scale, and in the northeast, on the 11th. About 3.30 p.m. the upper edge of a dark, very lofty haze cloud, stretching almost straight from alt. 15° in the south-south-west, to about alt. 20° in the north-west, was fringed with prismatic colours, in parts thrice repeated, separating the dark haze cloud from a bright white haze, like that often seen of late near the sun, which itself was nearly setting. The luminous haze was widest, about 5°, above the sun, and was also, but far more faintly fringed, with a hazy blue sky above. I lasted until 4.20, but at 4.10 the dull cloud was a deep violet, and the bright haze a steel blue. They both seemed to disappear in the dusk, but the bright glow reappeared about 4.40 p.m.