WINTER IN ANTARCTIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20235, 20 April 1929, Page 13

WINTER IN ANTARCTIC.

SUN BELOW HORIZON.

PHENOMENA OF AURORA, RADIO WAVES AFFECTED. (Received April 19, 7.25 p.m.) United Service. NEW YORK, April IS. [By Mr. Russell Owen. Copyrighted 19® by the New York Times Company and the St. Louis Post Dispatch. All rights for publication reserved throughout, the world. Wireless to the New York Times.] BAY OF WHALES, April 18. Tho sun disappeared from our camp yesterday. It crawled along the horizon formed by tho Barrier to the north, a round ball of dull fire, as if seen through a thin haze, and slid slowly out of sight. To-day the tipper part of it might have appeared again, but there were clouds iin the northern sky, and only a red spot crept slowly westward, grew fainter, and went away, leaving a chill sunset. It may be visible in a day or two more from the top of the Barrier or the bay ice, but it will be next August before it shines again on our little hollow. It has left a long twilight of eerie gray light, which almost imperceptibly fades into night, and this will b6 with us in the middle of the day for some time. It is curious that our sunset is |a the north now, and that in the south, vPjjere golden rays used to light the rolling Barrier surface, is a grim black line of approaching night.

With the going of the sun the cold has increased, and last night it was again 40 degrees below zero, a calm, clear night, with the aurora blazing overhead, 'its magnificent and mysterious glow palpitating as if alive, sending its shivering curtains and streamers across the sky. This is an occurrence of almost every night, and a nightwatchman has been appointed to note its volume, direction and character. The aurora has probably been responsible tor some of the radio vagaries which occurred recently. Mr. Lany Gould, for instance, wished to communicate with the University of Michigan, bat found that it was easier to reach Michigan through the University's short-wave station at Mt. Evans, Greenland, then direct. It is to be hoped that it will be possible during the periods of darkness at Mt. Evans and Little America to compare the auroral phenomena by radio, and learn something new about it. It has never yet been possible to know whether it occurred at the same time at both. Poles.