BRILLIANT AURORA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22948, 28 January 1938, Page 10

BRILLIANT AURORA

DISPLAY IN EUROPE PANIC AMONG PEASANTS NIGHT TURNED INTO DAY (Received January 27. 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 26 The most brilliant display of the Aurora Borealis for many years was seen in Britain and in many parts of the Continent. It appeared soon after sunset and continued for several hours. It was seen as far south as Greece. The phenomenon, which is attributed to the recently reported sunspot, interrupted the beam wireless to Australia and caused havoc among cable trafficIt also caused panic in parts of Europe ■where such a spectacle had not been known within memory. Austrian villagers fell on their knees and prayed when night turned to day with a flaming, coloured curtain across the sky. Peaks of the Swiss Alps were lit up in magnificent colours.

One of the largest sunspots seen since 1875 was clearly visible to the naked eye in London on January 19. It appeared as an elongated dark speck on the upper right-hand portion of the orb, and its area was estimated at about 3,500,000,000 square miles. It was also seen in Auckland. The recent difficulties in Empire broadcasts, especially Canadian, were believed to be due to tho ■unspot.