CHAPTER IV.

PHENOMENA SIMULATING AURORÆ.

_Auroric Lights (Kinahan)._

[Sidenote: Mr. Kinahan’s Auroric Lights. White and red. White light appears in pencils radiating from a point.]

Mr. G. Henry Kinahan writes to ‘Nature,’ from Ovoca, under date January 27th, 1877, and speaks of two distinct kinds of light so classed—one brilliant and transparent, of a white yellowish-blue or yellowish-red colour, while the other is semi-opaque and of a bloody red colour, the latter being considered in Ireland a forerunner of bad weather. The first kind generally appears as intermittent pencils of light that suddenly appear and disappear.

[Sidenote: Frequently not stationary, but jumping about.]

Usually they proceed or radiate from some point near the north of the horizon; but Mr. Kinahan has frequently seen them break from a point in the heavens, not stationary, but jumping about within certain limits. Sometimes these lights occur as suddenly flashing clouds of light of a white colour, but at other times of blue and reddish yellow.

[Sidenote: In daylight like sun-rays. Red light appears in clouds floating upwards or diffused.]

If this class of lights is watched into daylight, they appear somewhat like faint rays of a rising sun. One morning, while travelling in West Galway in the twilight, they were very brilliant, and quite frightened Mr. Kinahan’s car-driver, who thought the sun was going to rise in the north instead of the east. The second, or bloody red light, usually occurs in clouds floating in one direction up into the heavens, but often diffused over a portion of the sky. Mr. Kinahan has never seen them coming from the east, and on only a few occasions from the south, but generally from the west, north-west, or north.

[Sidenote: Red light appears as dirty misty clouds in daylight, or as a mist or misty rays.]

If both kinds of light appear at the same time, the second while passing over the first dims it. If the second class is watched into daylight, they appear as dirty misty clouds that suddenly form and disappear without the spectator being able to say where they come from or where they go to, or as a hazy mist over a portion of the sky, that suddenly appears and disappears, or as misty rays proceeding from a point in the horizon. Generally, when these clouds occur, there is a bank of black clouds to the westward.

[Sidenote: Season since October 1876 prolific in auroric light.]

Mr. Kinahan then speaks of the season as having been prolific in auroric light, as there had been few nights since the 1st October then last (1876) in which they did not appear. On many occasions they were late in the night, being very common and brilliant during the dark days of December, a few hours before dawn (about 5 o’clock). Each time there was a fine day they appeared also, and the weather broke again.

[Sidenote: Mr. J. Allan Broun questions nature of these lights, as Aurora is seldom seen at 5 A.M. in this country. On 77 occasions seen only twice so early. Season was of marked infrequency elsewhere.]

Mr. Jno. Allan Broun refers to this graphic account of Mr. Kinahan’s, and concludes there must have been some mistake as to the nature of these “auroric lights,” as the Aurora Borealis is very rarely seen at 5 A.M. in this country. In the years 1844 and 1845, during which the Aurora was sought for at Makerstown every hour of the night, it was observed in 77 nights on an average of nearly three hours each night; but it was seen only twice so early, and that with a bright or brilliant Aurora, which remained during five hours on the first occasion, and from 6 P.M. to 6 A.M. on the second. Parts of the phenomenon seen by Mr. Kinahan, Mr. Broun also could not say he had ever seen; and if Mr. Kinahan’s observations could have been confirmed it would have been most important, especially as made so frequently at the epoch of minimum. The description is in many respects a sufficiently recognizable one of auroral discharges; but the frequent appearance in early morning is certainly unusual, and few if any Auroræ seem to have been recorded as appearing elsewhere in Great Britain during the time which Mr. Kinahan refers to as so prolific (see, however, Dr. Allnatt’s, _antè_, p. 24). In fact, the season in question was one of marked infrequency (see English Arctic Expedition Report, _antè_, p. 26). Mr. Buchan furnished Mr. Broun with a note of Auroræ seen in the stations of the Scottish Meteorological Society during the year 1876, and they were 42 in number, 26 in the first half, and 16 in the second half of the year. The greater part were seen in the most northerly stations, including the Orkney, Shetland, and Faroe Islands, and only 9 south of the Forth.

_Luminous Arch._

[Sidenote: Luminous arch, Sept. 11, 1814. Height above horizon 6 to 9 miles.]

In the ‘Annals of Philosophy,’ vol. iv. p. 362, there is a minute description of a luminous arch which appeared in the sky on the night of Sunday, September 11th, 1814, and was seen in the west of England opposite the Irish Sea, the west part of the south of Scotland, and part of the west of Ireland. It was described as a part of either a body of dense greyish-white light, or a mass of luminous matter in the shape of an arch. Its height above the horizontal line was estimated at not more than 9 nor less than 6 miles.

[Sidenote: It moved southward, and was assumed to differ from the Aurora.]

Its direction when first seen was N. 80° E., and S. 80° W. It moved to the southward. It was assumed to differ from the Aurora Borealis in wanting coruscations, and in its having a much paler light.