No. XIV.

AN OBSERVATION

Of the Auroral Appearance in the Evening of the first day of August 1783, at Durham.

BY THE LATE REV. ELIZUR GOODRICH, D.D.

I

FIRST observed this appearance at viii. 56. at which time a zone of auroral light extended almost from the western to the eastern horizon. I was observing the heavens not ten minutes before, and then saw nothing of it. I am informed it arose suddenly from the north-western part of the heavens, and with a swift motion coruscated to the eastern. When I first observed it, it pointed to the western part of the horizon, at about N. W. by W. and to the eastern at a little south of east, though it was not clearly to be discerned on either horizon. In the western quarter, there was a beautiful profusion of clear and bright light, almost sufficient to conceal the stars under those of the second magnitude; this rose almost to the meridian, where the light grew fainter, and went on decreasing toward the east. In the western part, the light was so great and strong, and so entirely covering the heavens, that particular streaks or coruscations could be distinguished only in the outer borders of

S

the zone: In the eastern, they might be discerned distinctly through the whole breadth. The zone did not appear in the arch of either a great or parallel circle in the heavens, but irregular between both, its height being out of the proportion of either, and its casps toward the horizon on both sides, especially the western, declines much more northerly than regularity would admit; besides several breaks seemed to appear in the zone at times, which nevertheless were immediately filled up. The breadth of the zone was various in different parts of it, and in its successive motion southward, which at first was more rapid, till it become stationary, and then moved northward, till the whole appearance evanished.

The following observations were made during the appearance.

viii. 56.-Zone of auroral light extended almost across the heavens; rising from about N. W. by W. and descending about E. by S.-The southernmost or last bright star in the tail of ursa major, in the northern limb of the zone, where its breadth was equal to a third part of the distance between that star and the bright star of the crown. Lyra, in the middle of the zone, where the breadth of the zone was equal to the third part of the distance between Lyra and Aquila.-The whole zone north of the stars in Draco, vulgarly called the diamond.Brightest light in the western part; more faint in the

eastern.

ix. 6.-Zone of auroral light partly evanishing in the east. The whole zone south of Lyra-western part very bright-its southern limb touches the northern stars of the crown-its breadth nearly as above.

ix. 10.-Bright star of the crown in the middle of the zone, where the appearance is very bright and luminous, but decreaseth toward the meridian; eastward of which the whole appearance is evanished.

ix. 15.-The appearance stationary in the crownbright westward of it, and extending about half way to the horizon-breadth not so great as at first-from Lyra half way of the crown almost wholly evanished.

ix. 16. Western bright appearance continues stationary. A new coruscation or stream of faint auroral

light, of an equal breadth of about one degree, passing through the middle of the crown, a little north of Arcturus, and its northern limb just touching the diamond in Draco, extended to the eastern horizon, descending considerably south of east.

ix. 25.-Appearance, for some time stationary, is now moved about one degree north of the diamond, and its southern border near the northernmost stars in the

crown.

ix. 28.-Bright appearance in the west evanishing.Small coruscation evanishing in the middle; continued in the east and west.

ix. 30.-Whole appearance continues to evanish in the west.

ix. 33.-Bright light near gone.-The smaller coruscation distinctly renewed instantaneously, and nearly in a great circle from the eastern to the western horizon, passing north of the northernmost stars of the crownnorth of Arcturus-south of Lyra-north of Draco. ix. 34.-Evanishing at the eastern horizon.

ix. 35. Evanished to Draco.

ix. 38.-Wholly evanished.

ix. 40. Small coruscations in the east.

ix. 45. Faint coruscations in the west, through the tail of the Great Bear up to the Galaxy.

ix. 57.-Auroral light very faint.

x.-No auroral light to be discerned.

A faint bank of auroral light in the north during the whole, which sometimes ascended to about 30 degrees.

No. XV.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE METEOR,

Which burst over Weston in Connecticut, in December 1807, and of the falling of Stones on that occasion,

BY PROFESSORS SILLIMAN AND KINGSLEY.

WITH A CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF THE STONES,

BY PROFESSOR SILLIMAN.*

N the 14th of December, 1807, about half past 6 o'clock, A. M. a meteor was seen moving through the atmosphere, with very great velocity, and was heard to explode over the town of Weston, in Connecticut,

* NOTE....The following account of the facts which attended the falling of stones from the atmosphere, was first published, in substance, in the Connecticut Herald, and, subsequently, in many newspapers, and in several literary and philosophical Journals. A revised account, together with the details of the analysis, was afterwards communicated to the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, and has been published in their transactions. No communication was made to the Connecticut Academy, because they did not then contemplate publishing any thing immediately, and the public curiosity was so much alive on a subject which, in this country, was altogether novel, that there was no room for delay.

But, in consequence of the strong local interest which is felt in Connecticut, as the scene of the extraordinary event alluded to, the Academy have thought proper to direct the republication of these papers, that they may be preserved and diffused in Connecticut ; disclaiming at the same time any right to them as original communications.