FINE AURORA DISPLAY

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25270, 23 August 1947, Page 8

FINE AURORA DISPLAY

COLOURS FROM GREEN TO DUSKY RED

The Aurora Australis was again clearly visible from Christchurch last night. A brilliant display was all the more remarkable because the moon had almost reached the first smarter.

“It was the most vivid and intense display seen in Wellington for many years,” said the director of the Carter Observatory (Mr I. Thomsen), according to a Press Association message from Wellington. “It was also most unexpected as there has been very little activity of the sun in the last few days. I would estimate roughly that the zenith of the aurora reached about half-way between Christchurch and Dunedin.” The aurora was also seen in Dunedin and Invercargill. At Invercargill the display was said to be the most brilliant for years.

The first of about 20 telephone messages from observers was received by “The Press” at 10 o’clock. The brilliance of the colours increased until 10.30 p.m. At mid-night faint shafts of light could still be seen where there was no interference from artificial lighting, and at 12.30 a.m., when the moon had set, the aurora glowed brighter than ever.

Cathedral Spire Silhouetted Even at its climax last night,, the aurora presented a rather ragged appearance, with little pattern discernible. It stretched from east-south-east to west-south-west—an unusually wide range. The most vivid colouring was a dusky red patch to the south-west From the roof of “The Press” building, the spire of the Christchurch Cathedral was sharply silhouetted against this patch. In the centre of the display, appearing above the Port Hills, was the “dark segment,” a fog-like formation. Above the dark segment stretched a mass of colours, merging from dark green to light green s pink, and red. Red, white, and green shafts of light extended from the south-east horizon to a height of almost 90 degrees. There had been a fair amount of magnetic disturbance in the last few days, said the director of the Magnetic Observatory (Mr H. F. Baird). The aurora was generally seen more often in spring and autumn, and there was a strong'probability nat it would be seen more often than usual this spring.

The brightness of the aurora was emphasised by a Lyttelton resident who first noticed the glow when he went into an unlighted room. The most noticeable feature of the aurora early in the morning was the vividness of the colours, particularly the deep red on the margin. The, colours varied in intensity, and the pattern altered from- time to time.