THE LATE PECULIAR SUNSETS.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1315, 26 October 1883, Page 4

THE LATE PECULIAR SUNSETS.

■» About a fortnight ago it will bo reineuibered that on two or three nights the sunsets were remarkably beautiful, and were observed to be of the same nature throughout the Colony. The same thing was noticed in Australia, and under the above heading the Victorian Government astronomer writes as follows in the Argus : — ; "Sir,— The beautiful sunsets, accompanipd by a strong red glow in the •western sky, which have lately prevailed seem to have been universal throughout Australia. The sunrises also, whenever it has been clear, especially inland, have been of the same character, and correspondence has been received at the observatory from nearly all quarters upon this subject. Several reports of the appearance of auroras in the western sky have been received at the observatory, but in fact there have been no signs of auroras, and terrestrial magnetism has been moderately quiescent. "•A somewhat favourite speculation is that it is in some way connected with the late volcanic eruptions in the Straits of Sunda, and that the red glare is produced by the illuminations of volcanic dust, or something of the kind, in the upper regions of the atmosphere. It is well known that dust is frequently raised to great altitudes by atmospheric and terrestrial disturbances, and it has been seen covering large areas from 15,00<>ft to 20,000 ft high, and #as sometimes been carried immense distances by aerial cutreiitp. It is, however, difficult to imagine that a purely local volcanic outburst, like that near Java, should project enough dust or other matter to pervade the atmosphere covering an area over •which the peculiar red sunsets have been seen of late — over nearly all Australia in fact. "On the third evening of its occurrence, I examined the light carefully •with a spectroscope. As I expected the spectrum was remarkable for the great breadth of what are known as telliirc or atmospheric lines, especially of those shown by M. Jannswi 'to be due to aqueous vapour in certain conditions in the higher strata of our atmosphere, andlwas satisfied at the time that the. cause of the gorgeous sunset was simply a peculiar hygrmetric condition of those regions, and I still balieve this to be the explanation. "Such sunset in the Northern hemisphere are often regarded by oM sailors as protending a period of broken and stormy weather, and indicate anywhere the existence of a large amount of aqueous vapour in the higher regions of the atmosphere. Whether, as I am inclined to think, they will be found on this occasion to point to a period of stormy and wet weather, which we naturally look for about this season, especially in the southern parts of Australia, will '<BDOn bo determined. I may also point

out that this is the season when the i zodiacal light is often at its brightest, j and liasin iii':t, been very bright nearly i every night since the red sunsets have j been noted ; this, while adding nothing j to the colour, has certainly niiiUd ■ 1.0 tho liglit of the evening sky, und in- : teujsiiicd the rod glow.— -I am, &<.:.. " HOBT. L. J. ELLEiIY. / Observatory, October 4."