Abstract
THE splendid aurora by which our sky was illuminated yesterday evening was remarkable for the great variety of appearances which it displayed, for its intensity, its duration, and lastly for the large expanse of sky over which it spread. In fact it exhibited collectively all the principal phenomena observed in former appearances of this meteor: that is to say, luminous arches of various colours, dark arches, moveable clouds of red and green colour, bright rays both isolated and united in large bundles, dark rays, diverging and converging rays, red pillars, changes of colour, &c., &c. It lasted from about six o'clock till after midnight, whereas in most cases the duration of the phenomenon does not exceed a few hours, and is not unfrequently less than an hour. The auroral light, under various forms and colours, extended over nearly the whole of the sky, whereas it is usually limited to the northern region.
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RESPIGHI, L. Observations of the Aurora Borealis of February 4 & 5, 1872 * . Nature 5, 511–512 (1872). https://doi.org/10.1038/005511a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/005511a0