MAGNIFICENT AURORA BOREALIS ENCOMPASSING THE WHOLE FIRMAMENT TO ITS FARTHEST BOUNDS.—1837.
A Vast Canopy of Gorgeous Crimson Flames Encircles the Earth—Arches of Resplendent Auroral Glories Span the Hemisphere—Innumerable Scarlet Columns of Dazzling Beauty Rise from the Horizon to the Zenith—The Face of Nature Everywhere Appears, to an Astonished World, as if Dyed in Blood—Uncommon Extent and Sublimity—Remarkable Duration and Aspects—Intensely Luminous Character—Universal Outburst of Luster—Preceded by a Fall of Snow—First Signs of the Phenomenon—Exquisite Rosy Illumination—The Snow Appears Deep Red—A Fiery Vermilion Tinge to Nature—Alarm Produced by the Scene—Great Moving Pillar of Light—Vivid Streamers in All Directions—Pure White and Brilliant Colors—Contrast of the Glowing Tints—Wide Fields of Rainbow Hues—Radiant Beauty Heaven-Wide—Superlative Pageant of Splendor—Perfection of the Stellar Form—Millions of Wondering Observers—Visible Nearly the Whole Night—Accounts from Different Points—Europe’s Share in the Display. “—Depth, height, breadth,
Are lost in their extremes; and where to count
The thick-sown glories in these fields of fire,
Perhaps a seraph’s computation fails.”
Years of observation, covering many centuries, and embracing all zones and latitudes, give no record of any display of auroral glories equal, in sublimity, magnificence, and extent, to the aurora borealis of November 14, 1837. Of the various accounts of this phenomenon, as furnished by observers in different parts of the land, the following will suffice to show its marvelous beauty and grandeur,—remarkable for its amplitude, its duration, its intense luminosity, and the brilliancy of its colors. Scientific observations of the phenomenon were made by Professors Barnard, Herrick, Twining, Joslin, Silliman, Gibbs, Henry, Dewey, Redfield, and others, and these were republished in all parts of Europe, attracting universal attention. The city of New Haven had been visited during the day of the fourteenth, with a moderate storm of snow, which began to subside between the hours of five and six in the evening. The heavens continued, however, to be more or less obscured by clouds during the entire evening; on which account, the splendors of the aurora, as they manifested themselves to observers more favorably situated, were here in a great degree concealed. The veil of snow-clouds, which, at sunset, and for some time afterward, covered the sky, was nevertheless exceedingly thin; and it was through this, and even through the falling snow itself, that the first visible indications of the presence of an aurora were discovered. Though the exact time at which the phenomenon commenced could not be known, it had doubtless been in progress for a while before the intensity of the light became sufficient to penetrate the screen. The first evidence of its existence consisted in a strong rosy illumination of the entire arch of the heavens. Of this appearance, Professor Olmstead, then of New Haven, says: The snow, which at sunset had covered the earth and all things near it, with a mantle of the purest white, closed, early in the evening, with a most curious and beautiful pageant. About six o’clock, while the sky was yet thick with falling snow, all things suddenly appeared as if dyed in blood. The entire atmosphere, the surface of the earth, the trees, the tops of the houses, and, in short, the whole face of nature, were tinged with the same scarlet hue. The alarm of fire was given, and the vigilant firemen were seen parading the streets in their ghostly uniform, which, assuming the general tint, seemed in singular keeping with the phenomenon. The light was most intense in the north-west and north-east. At short intervals it alternately increased and diminished in brightness, until, at half-past six, only a slight tinge of red remained on the sky. On account of the18light being thus transmitted through the snowy medium and a thin veil of clouds, the aurora borealis was diffused like the light of the astral lamp, covered with a red shade of ground glass. That the stratum of clouds was very thin, was inferred from the fact, that, before half-past six, a few stars were discernible as when seen through a fog; and such was the appearance of the moon, which rose about the same time. Within ten minutes from the time the heavens began to assume their fiery appearance, the whole clouded hemisphere shone with that marvelously brilliant light, which, reflected in rosy tints by the snow on the ground, produced a scene indescribably gorgeous. To some observers, the auroral flush seemed to overspread all parts of the sky almost simultaneously. East of New Haven, the storm was more protracted. At New London, the snow was falling copiously, and continued so, unabatedly, during the whole evening. But, notwithstanding the storm, the heavens seemed as if they were on fire,—a lurid light on all sides, from the zenith to the horizon, casting a most vulcanic hue on the fallen snow. The light seemed the same in every portion of the firmament, but without any apparent cause. In the city of New York, the display, as witnessed from an eminence which commanded an unobstructed view of the horizon in every direction, was, in the latter part of the evening, magnificent beyond description. At about a quarter before six, the attention of observers was attracted by a most unusual appearance of the heavens. The sky was wholly overcast, as in New Haven at the same hour; though the cloud was not sufficiently dense absolutely to obscure all the stars, of which quite a number were seen from time to time, faintly glimmering through. At the time of the first observation, the whole heaven was suffused with a lovely carnation, brightest, apparently, at the commencement in the zenith, but soon afterward rather toward the north-east. This tint, reflected on the snow, clothed all nature with a red-tinted garniture, of supernal beauty. It gradually faded, though at the end of an hour it was still slightly perceptible. The sky then rapidly cleared, and all traces of the aurora passed away. But at about half-past seven, the north and east being still overcast, and some stratified clouds extending themselves along the horizon around toward the west, a brightness began to appear in the north-west, which, in a very short time, extended itself upward forty-five degrees, in a column of diffused light, quite broad at the base, and tapering to a point. This column moved very slowly southward, and at length became divided into two of similar character. But in the meantime, in all the north, and especially in the north-west, numerous streamers began to make their appearance. They became faintly red at the height of about thirty degrees, and the redness of the whole blended itself into one general cloud, while the columns continued distinct and white below. The changes were rapid, but the red tint covered the heavens nearly to the zenith for a long time. The moon, emerging from the clouds, a little before eight, detracted from the brightness of the display. The whole subsided, or nearly so, shortly after eight, and observations were discontinued. A few minutes before nine, however, the community was summoned to witness a new exhibition of auroral wonders, the lustrous grandeur of which no tongue could tell, nor pen portray. The heavens were at this time wholly unclouded, with the exception of a single very small and faint cirrus high in the north-west. Innumerable bright arches shot up from the whole northern semicircle of the horizon, and from even farther south, all converging to the zenith with great rapidity. Their upper extremities were of the most brilliant scarlet, while below they were exceedingly white. At the formation of the corona, the appearance of the columns below, which were very numerous and bright, resembled that of bright cotton of long fiber, drawn out at full length. The intermingled hues afforded each other a mutual strong relief, and exhibited the most dazzling contrasts ever beheld. The stellar form was wonderfully perfect and regular. Toward the west, there was a sector of more than twenty degrees of unmingled scarlet, superlatively beautiful. The duration of this display was quite remarkable. For three-quarters of an hour after its formation, which took place about nine o’clock, the corona continued, with variable brightness, to maintain its position a little to the south of the zenith. At about half-past nine, the northern columns had become disconnected from it, and had subsided very low, the heavens being clear between. But long before this, and, indeed, within a few minutes after nine, the south was as completely filled with corresponding columns as the north. For a time, therefore, the earth was completely overarched by a perfect canopy of glory. The southern columns, which seemed to proceed downward from the corona, rested on an arch of diffused light, extending in a great circle from east to west, or nearly so, and being about twenty degrees, or a little more, above the horizon, in the center. All below the arch was of the strange darkness so usual at such times in the north. The southern columns were at no time so bright as the northern, but they maintained their position, after these last had retired,—extending still from the corona to the arch which formed their base. The appearance was at this time that of an aurora australis, and this continued for more than a quarter of an hour. Streamers, for a while, continued to shoot up irregularly in the north, but they did not again reach the zenith. By half-past ten, all evidence of the phenomenon had disappeared from the heavens, and the hosts of charmed observers reluctantly abandoned their watch. In the western part of New York State, the exhibition was most superb, as seen and described at various points of observation. In Buffalo and neighborhood, the aurora was perceived at its first approach. At about a quarter-past five o’clock, the heavens being clear in the north and for fifty degrees both east and west of that point, an unusual ruddy appearance was noticed. This soon faded, leaving barely a perceptible tinge; and instantly, when nearly all color had disappeared elsewhere, a space of some fifteen degrees in diameter, immediately west of Cassiopeia and Andromeda, and north of Pegasus, was lighted up with red, of a particularly deep hue. This was entirely disconnected, on every side, from any auroral light or appearance whatever, and, from its center, pencils of white radiated to the periphery on every side. After this appearance had continued some five minutes, the white lines disappeared, and the whole space in question assumed a uniform red color, which was almost instantly thereafter extended, in an arch of the same width, through the zenith, and down to the horizon about sixty degrees west of north. On the east, this light did not extend itself; and, during the whole time, the clear space existing in the north retained its usual color and appearance. Deep red streams, penciled with white, then began to appear and fade in the north, but without the tremulous motion of “merry dancers.” Those in the north-east maintained their brightness longest. At about fifteen minutes before six o’clock, the clouds had become more dense and dark, though still in detached masses, particularly throughout that portion of the heavens which had been occupied by the red arch above mentioned, and these isolated clouds now assumed an appearance at once novel and striking. Those west of the zenith, and lying within the track of the crimson arch already described, suddenly exhibited the most vivid red along their entire southern borders; while the like clouds east of the zenith, and following the same track, and prolonging it quite down to the eastern horizon, assumed the same vivid color upon their northern borders; no other portion, however, of these clouds, exhibited any of the characteristics of auroral light. South of this line, there was at no time any auroral light whatever; and at the moment in question, there was very little in any other parts of the heavens, save on the borders of these clouds. At nine minutes before six, the red edgings of these clouds began to fade, and immediately a wide space in the north-east, that was still free from clouds, was most brilliantly lighted up. The color was of the same deep red, but it did not extend down to the horizon; and this had scarcely continued four minutes, when the whole region north of the zenith, to within about eight degrees of the horizon, was again reddened and glowing—while, beyond these limits, either north or south, no vestige of the aurora was visible. Just two minutes before six, the moon appeared above the horizon, and as it was only two days past the full, its beams soon surpassed in brightness those of the aurora. In Hudson, Ohio, at the Western Reserve College, some of the earlier displays of the phenomenon were noticed by Professor Loomis. This was some five minutes after six, when he observed that a small pile of light, of a reddish hue, lay upon the horizon, in a direction a little north of north-west, and a similar pile in the east of north-east. Between these there was a low faint cloud, bounded by a somewhat ill-defined arch, rising in its center about ten degrees from the horizon. Above this arch, a diffused light streamed upward toward the zenith, in one or two places, being somewhat more condensed, forming beams. This light increased rapidly in brightness; it became of a more decided crimson color, extended up to the zenith, and, at the same time, light began to shoot up from several points in the east, and somewhat south of east. At a quarter-past six, meantime, a pretty regular arch was formed, extending from the above-mentioned pile of light in the north-west. This arch was rather irregular in its outline, and had a slightly crimson color. In about five minutes, another arch of white light partially formed in the southern sky, and had nearly the same direction with the preceding; but this arch was never complete, and soon vanished entirely. The great arch, however, before described, brightened up again in very nearly the same position as previously. About half-past eight, light of a crimson color was observed to shoot from the eastern horizon toward and beyond the zenith, nearly in the position of the former arch. The heavens were now nearly covered with thin cirro-cumulus clouds, and the contrast of the ordinary clouds with this crimson auroral light, produced a very singular effect. The sky remained cloudy during the night. Strange though it may appear, this beautiful and magnificent phenomenon was visible during nearly the whole night in the neighborhood of St. Louis, Mo., and was particularly brilliant between the hours of twelve and one, when the moon was near its zenith. Time in St. Louis being rather more than one hour earlier than in New York, this midnight display was contemporaneous with the latest return of the aurora in the longitude of New York; but this, which was the least energetic in the latter, appears there to have been the most remarkable. The commencement of the phenomenon in Philadelphia was similar to that observed at New York. At a later period, the lights were again visible, and, between nine and ten o’clock, exceeded, in extent and brilliancy, anything of the kind ever before witnessed in that region. A broad field of crimson flame, stretching from nearly a western course, and reaching the eastern hemisphere, encompassed the heavens with a brilliant glory, of indescribable beauty and magnificence, hanging, as it were, suspended from the blue vault above, like an immense curtain over the earth—while, from almost every point of the compass, shot up rays of rich and gorgeous light, spreading and intermingling with a wavy, tremulous motion, and exhibiting every hue of the clearest rainbow. The richness, variety, and delicacy of the colors, were surprisingly beautiful, as was their prismatic brilliancy. The sky itself was remarkably clear and cloudless—and through the celestial phenomena, a full moon and innumerable stars were, all the while, distinctly visible. In Maryland, according to the observations made at Emmettsburg, the first indication of the aurora’s approach was given as soon as it became dark, by the singular redness of the cumulo-stratus clouds, now entirely covering the sky. Those in the north, south, east and west, all partook of the redness, the reflection from them being strong enough to give a red tinge to the snow. The heaviest clouds retained their dark color in the center, but they were bordered with red. During the hour in which this state of things existed, there were no streamers, streaks of light, nor merry dancers. Indeed, where the sky could be seen between the clouds, there were no signs of an aurora, but rather a deep green sky. By seven, the moon being risen, and the clouds having vanished, nothing remained to show that there had been any unusual occurrence. A little after nine, however, the sky being perfectly clear, an aurora suddenly sprang up, which, for magnificence, surpassed anything of the kind ever before witnessed in that section. The streamers from the east, west, and north, converged a few degrees north of the zenith, forming a beautiful auroral crown, red as scarlet, but intermingled with streaks of pale light. There were no merry dancers, but all the other appearances usually witnessed on such occasions were noticed. In little more than half an hour, the grand display was over, for the most part. Observers at Annapolis, Md., describe the aurora there as coming on in waves, at about a quarter before six, and returning at seven, at eight, and at nine. The first arch was formed suddenly, and became vertical in a very few minutes, from the first appearance of the columns at the north-west and south-east. It was crimson, traversed by white pencils. The color of the light at eight o’clock was not red, but dusky, and formed from the north-west point to the pole star, a broad column, which kept its position for half an hour. A succession of fine cirrus clouds floated off from the lower parts of the column to the south. At nine o’clock, the recurrence of the crimson light was more in patches, and of intense brightness, accompanied by cirro-cumulus clouds, which were formed suddenly over the whole sky, and were borne swiftly to the east by the wind. Near Alexandria, Va., the early display, as seen from east south-east to west south-west, exhibited a rich orange red color, extending even to the zenith, and covering all the heavens north of these points. The return occurred toward nine o’clock, in a brilliant and fiery form. The appearance of the aurora in South Carolina commenced about six o’clock, in the shape of a bank or store-house of auroral vapor toward the north. When first observed, a space of about fifteen degrees above the horizon was strongly marked by a pale white light, above which the crimson hue peculiar to this phenomenon began to be distinctly visible. At this time, the greatest degree of brightness was to the east of north, assuming no very definite form, but extending about eight or ten degrees east, and reaching in height to the constellation of Cassiopeia’s chair, the lower portion of which was enveloped in its reddening glow. The action then subsided; but at about eight o’clock, another bright crimson column ascended due north, attaining an altitude some degrees greater than that of the polar star, and maintaining its place about half an hour. After this had faded away, no return was observed until half-past nine, when there was perceived another broad arch of crimson light, ascending several degrees to the west of north. In certain sections of Georgia, the phenomenon commenced a little after dark. The sky a little to the north of the star Capella, began to appear luminous, and a luminous arch was soon formed, of about six or eight degrees in breadth, and extending over to the north-western horizon, having the pole star in its highest point. Soon after the arch was formed, that part of it in the north-eastern horizon became much brighter, and somewhat broader than the rest, and this luminous portion gradually rose, and passed on in the arch, its densest part culminating a little below the north star. It continued its motion to the western horizon. An hour and a half was occupied by the passage of the luminous part of the arch just described. It became somewhat fainter after it had passed the meridian, and it was gradually lost to sight, beginning first to disappear in the east, so that not a vestige remained at nine o’clock, three hours from its first appearance. The color of the arch was that of light scarlet, the most luminous part being a little darker, and much more intense. Its form was that of a semicircle, having for its base about sixty degrees of the horizon. It differed from the aurora in its regular outline, as well as its regular motion from east to west, and was witnessed with admiration and astonishment. So extensive was this magnificent celestial phenomenon, that it exhibited its wonderful splendors, contemporaneously, to the inhabitants of Europe and America, though the presence of clouds greatly interfered with the attractiveness and grandeur of the exhibition in the former. At half-past twelve, however, says one of the observers in England, a patch of the most intense, blood-red colors ever seen was visible, free from the interposition of clouds. The whole of the sky had an awful appearance; for the tinge of red which pervaded the whole expanse, assumed, in many points, from the depth of colors above, and the density of the clouds below, the dark copper tint which is seen on the disk of the moon during a lunar eclipse. It was such a sight as fills the mind with wonder and awe; and, in America at least, was the most marvelous of the kind ever known; though that of August and September, 1859, proved but little inferior in some respects.19In Northern Europe, this phenomenon is quite frequent, and Mr. Bayard Taylor describes one of rare beauty which he there witnessed.—Our First Century.