AURORA AUSTRALIS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 90, 18 April 1938, Page 6

AURORA AUSTRALIS

SEEN IN WANGANUI BRILLIANT DISPLAY. One of the most brilliant displays of v* the Aurora Australis ever seen from | Wanganui attracted considerable attention on Saturday evening. The strange, eerie light was first apparent at seven o’clock, gradually growing In brightness until it was of considerable proportions. At its height the phenomenon was of unusual and weird beauty.

Against a rose-coloured background fingers of a lighter shade suffused the whole shimmering curtain. The sky near the horizon was of a greenish shade. In the city the lights were not seen at their best owing to the glare of Neons and streets illuminations. Across the sea the effect was remarkable, the lights being intensified by reflection. At 8 p.m. the aurora was of considerable brightness, the glow b?ing reflected on buildings and giving a peculiar effect. All the facts concerning the origin of the aurora are not known, but it is almost certainly due to an electrical discharge in the rarified atmosphere. The most prominent line in its spectrum has been shown to be due to oxygen and there is a definite relationship between sun-spot activity, the aurora v „ and the polar magnetic storms. The x * aurora occurs ai heights of from 60 to 100 miles above the earth’s surface, but heights of 600 miles have been recorded. Saturday night’s display was probably one of those rare disturbances at a great height enabling it tc be seen from as far distant as these latitudes.

SEEN FROM NEW PLYMOUTH I Per Prwi AMOcUtloa. ) NEW PLYMOUTH, April 17. The Aurora Australis made a brilliant display in the southern sky between 7 and 8 o’clock on Saturday evening. The predominant colour was rose, which threw a few drifting clouds into bold relief. The display gradually faded into dark red before it dsappeared.