Strange Sight in the Northern Heaven's Last Evening.
A peculiar phenomenon was seen last evening in the northern sky. It first appeared soon after nine o'clock as two bright spots in the northeast and the northwest. The spots soon broadened out extending toward each other until they formed one vast rainbow of light that completely encircled the heavens. Later the phenomenon assumed another phase and great streams of wavy light flowed up from the north and played hide and seek among the shadows of the atmosphere. It was a pretty sight, one of the strangest features of which was its seemingly close proximity to the earth, the waves of light being apparently only just above the tree tops. The sight was witnessed by a large number of people. How late it continued no one seems to know, but it was seen long after midnight. It is believed to be some form of the aurora which of late has executed several phenomenal wonders somewhat similar, though not so extensive as the scene of last evening.
This seems to be a period of phenomena. Only recently the moon became quite frisky, appearing at one time in the form of a crescent at the intersection of a perfect figure in the form of a cross. Again it appeared in the border instead of the center of the halo that surrounded it. Just now it is engaged in a series of maneuvering with the planet Mars.
Besides the phenomenon in the northern heavens, mentioned above, there was a still more magnificent sight to the south of the zenith about ten o'clock. Stretching along the ecliptic from east to west was seen a broad luminous streak, resembling the tail of a comet. The sky was cloudless and dark and this broad band sweeping across the heavens in the sun's path shown grandly distinct when the observer was removed from the glare of the electric lights. This bright streak seemed to move rapidly from east to west like a luminous band. This strange phenomenon together with the aurora in the north lighted up the atmosphere to such an extent that it was easy to read newspaper print. Those who are students of astronomy attribute these phenomena to electrical disturbances caused by the sun spots. There are now several very large spots on the sun and an extraordinary commotion has been going on in the sun all this year, to which the unusually wet and stormy season is attributed. Any one with a smoked glass can see these spots now. In-as-much as astronomers have discovered a close relationship between sun spots, auroras and electrical disturbances and strange atmospheric phenomena, it is likely that other displays of this character may be looked for, as the sun is just now dotted with spots of more or less prominence.