From the Wheeling Gazette September 1. Mr Curtis.?
The following phenomena are to me, so new and so remarkable, that I think proper to send them for publication, hoping that it may induce others who may also have seen the same, to give a philosophical explanation of them.
About 10 o'clock, on the evening of the 28th inst. I discovered from my window facing the west, a regular, luminous arch in the northern hemisphere of the heavens, extending from east to west, the centre of which was elevated near 45° above the horizon. It consisted of a pale, white light, similar to the brightest parts of that zone which astronomers call the galaxy. Its western limb was the most luminous, and it gradually became paler as it approached the eastern horizon. But the most singular part, and that which struck me most forcibly, was a great number of luminous columns perpendicular to the horizon immediately under the luminous arch, following its course and extending but a few degrees below it. The columns were unequal in length, but equidistant and distinct from each other. Between these studs the stars were seen distinctly, but through them, they appeared dim. These columns moved slowly, but, as regularly on to the west as a body of soldiers would have done, and preserved their distance from each other.?Continuing this movement for probably three or four minutes, they disappeared, leaving the arch still visible. In a few minutes more, the columns re-appeared, though less bright, and made the same movement and again disappeared. Shortly after this, the arch became broken and the eastern limb invisible. The other part of the arch then extended into the heavens, and moved towards the south, dividing itself into two branches, which again became consolidated and appeared a single luminous column, similar to the train of an immense comet. It continued to move on in a southerly direction until it gained the west & then gradually died away.
When these remarkable appearances were first discovered, the north, near the horizon, was considerably illuminated, and this gradually increased, until it exhibited the appearance of the moon shining through a dense fog. At 10 o'clock, where these appearances commenced or were first noticed, the moon had been down more than half an hour; the sky was free from clouds, except a thin one which passed over the western limb of the luminous arch. From the time these phenomena were first seen until they disappeared, it was something more than half an hour.
The Northern Lights.?Under this head will be found, in a preceding column, several accounts of the extraordinary phenomenon that appeared on the evening of the 28th ult. in the Northern section of the Heavens. We did not see it, but believe, from what we have been able to collect, that some of the descriptions given, come very near the appearance presented to the view of the inhabitants of our neighborhood?some of whom, however, saw, or imagined that they saw, hostile armies marching and countermarching with all the paraphernalia and precision and confusion of a contested field.
The Northern Lights.
Washington, September 1.
The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, a phenomenon very seldom witnessed in this latitude, was displayed on Tuesday night with uncommon brilliancy. It was observed by many persons here, from 10 to 11 o'clock.?The whole Northern portion of the Heavens was filled with this singular light, which shot its silver streams sometimes vividly, high up towards the zenith, and then became nearly blended in a mass of mad light. Int.
Baltimore, September 1.
The Aurora Borealis noticed here on Tuesday night, has attracted the same attention in the north, where it exhibited pretty similar appearances. The descriptions given in the Philadelphia papers, coincide the most nearly with what we observed ourselves, except that here there were no flashes of light from the zenith downwards, and the rose colour was more conspicuous. The range of seeming comets is compared there to a line of infantry : From their rapid evolutions, they might be more aptly resembled to a squadron of horse. This is not the first time, according to veracious tradition, when armies have been seen in the air. Perhaps some of our readers may wish that they were always confined to it ; we are sure the people of Flanders would, even those who had the honor to have their standing corn trampled down in the "glorious victory," (as Peterkin says in the poem) of Waterloo. Amer.
Chambersburg, September 4.
NORTHERN LIGHTS.?We had not the pleasure of viewing the Northern Lights, which occured on Tuesday evening last ; those who saw them, say they were unusually brilliant and beautiful?their coruscations so numerous and fanciful, that the eye of imagination might picture embattled hosts, and many direful prognostics! Repos.
Pittsburg, August 31.
NORTHERN LIGHTS.?On Tuesday night last, there was a singularly beautiful and brilliant display of lights in the north, rising from the horizon to the zenith, like successive and scarcely intermitting flashes, and illuminating the whole country around us from 11 till after 12 o'clock. A gentleman who noticed it, assures us the light was so constant and bright that almost any kind of out-door work might have been performed. Was this the Aurora Borealis? Has the phenomenon been observed elsewhere??Gaz.
Philadelphia, August 31.
AURORA BOREALIS.?On Tuesday evening last, from half past 9 until half past 11 o'clock, the atmosphere exhibited this, to us, most unusual appearance of the Heavens. It began with a mild clear light in the northern horizon, precisely resembling the break of day?above which, at unequal distances, there shot forth numerous short lines or rays of light parallel to each other, or but slightly radiated, and forming a broken arch from N. W. to N. E. the highest point being about 30 degrees above the horizon, changing at intervals in size, and at times assuming a beautiful degree of brightness on the comparatively dark sky ; above these rays a vapoury arch of light appeared, into whgich gradually merged, giving it an additional brightness; imperceptibly the light sunk to a point a little North of West, from which it extended upwards nearly to the zenith in great beauty and clearness, increasing in breadth as it rose, and resembling a vast stream of fire gushing forth from the mouth of some immense beam changed into two or three long narrow rays or rods of light, inclining South, which, in a short time, died away, leaving an atmosphere so clear, that the dark vault of Heaven seemed to have doubled its innumerable host of Stars.
NATURE.