AURORA AUSTRALIS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22404, 28 April 1936, Page 10

AURORA AUSTRALIS

PROMINENT DISPLAY VISIBILITY IN AUCKLAND A prominent auroral display was witnessed in Auckland in the early hours yesterday morning. A large semi-cir-cular glow of pearly light centred in the south-east gave the impression of dawning day. Commencing in the east a bright arc stretched to an elevation of 40deg. in the south-east, thence declining again to the south-western horizon. The edge of the auroral arc was clearly defined and was about equal in brightness to the Milky Way. Contiguous with this arc was an inner region of less intensity, which gradually brightened to a very pronouncod horizon glow of a yellowish-white colour. First noticed about 2.30, the aurora was continuously visible, fluctuating somewhat in brightness and area, until the stronger light of dawn effaced its outlines, at which time the auroral arc at its highest point was more than oOdeg. above the horizon. Auroral displays are infrequently seen frorft places so close to the equator as Auckland. The beautiful coloured display seen here on the night of May 15, 1921, was world-wide in its visibility. Since then only two instances are on record where aurorae have been seen in the Auckland province, in 1925 at Hamilton and 1934 at Dargaville.

Nearly half the auroral displays visible in New Zealand are of the type witnessed yesterday—auroral' arcs and glows fairly quiescent in nature and lasting for some hours. Often when this type is observed in the North Island a more active display, with streamers and bright colours, can be seen in the South Island, so there is every likelihood that the recent display was visible all over the Dominion.