THE ERUPTIONS AT TAKAWERA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7653, 28 August 1886, Page 2

THE ERUPTIONS AT TAKAWERA.

THE RED SUNSET THEORY.

Is it volcanic dust which now dims the light of the sun and the moon 1 is the question asked by the Daily Register (Mobile, Alabama), of July 10. Our contemporary

Wednesday and Wednesday night there was noticed in the atmosphere a remarkable haziness. Yesterday the same haze or mist was present, although less dense than on ths preceding day. The effect in the daytime was to cut off man}- of tbe rays of the sun, so that shadows were not deep or well defined. The sky itself had a grayish tinge. The clouds, of whicb there wore many, were vaguely defined. This haze was in the upper atmosphere; along tho surface of the earth there there was no unusual amount of it, and the hills in the distance were as clearly defined as ou any summer day. The most marked effect was seen at night. Tlie sky seemed overcast with an unbroken rain cloud, yet the moon shone through it, perfectly' defined, but as if obscured by a yellow glass. The haze of Indian summer is reddish, and the sun and moon shining through it take on a copper colour: but "the colour of the moon was distinctly tinged with yellow—a fact whicli is beyond the experience of those who pay attention to such phenomena. The assistant signal ofiicer states that the haze or dust in the atmosphere is above the cumuli, those heavy - looking white clouds which wore visible yesterday aud the day before. These clouds range from 2000 ft to two miles in height. Ko idea was advanced as to the substance composing the haze, although it might be dust or smoke. If the latter, there is some reason to believe that the scientific theory lately urged concerning red sunsets will elucidate the present problem. The red sunsets are now accounted for on the ground that they were the results of hydrogen gas or volcanic dust in the atmosphere. It is a known fact that in volcanic eruptions vast quantities of hydrogen gas are thrown out, together with ashes and dust. These, in their highly heated condition, would be by their lightness carried to a areat height, or until they reached a stratum equal lo tbeir own specific gravity. Tho red sunsets are therefore referred to the volcanic eruptions in the Samoan islands._ _ ! Now in June of this year there were even , more terrible volcanic eruptions in New Zea- ■ land. For GO miles the mountain ranges • vomited fire, ashes, dust, and hydrogen gas. '. Such quantities of matter have no dpubt i

spread far and wide in the upper atmosphere and perhaps have reached the latitude of tliis country. The density of the dustcloud is very small—perhaps too small to give to the sun and moon a red colour, or to repeat the phenomena of red sunsets. The wave of haze may at any time grow more dense, however, and, if so, the phenomena in question may yet occur.