Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 August 1889 — "SHINING NIGHT CLOUDS." [ARTICLE]

"SHINING NIGHT CLOUDS."

Celestial Phenomenon Which May Not Be Seen Again for Centuries. u Since the summer of 1885 there has appeared annually a curious celestial phenomenon, at night, known as the “shining night clouds,” says the .New fork Herald. They have been visible in latitudes from 40 to €0 degrees, ehiefiy in June, July, and early August, but later in the year in equatorial regions. Twice last December they were reported fipm Punta Arenas, South America. One of the first appearances of the eloads was described by Robert C. Leslie in Nature of July 16, 1885, as teen about 10 p. m., near Southampton, England. A sea of luminous silvery white cloud lay "above a belt of ordinary twilight sky. The clouds were wavelike at a great elevation,extending all the way from west to north, wd radiant with a light closely resembling that which shines from white phosphor paint As witnessed in Bavaria at a late hour on three nights in June and July, 1885, the coloring of the clouds was pale steel blue, gradually changing through a dull green to yellow and orange below. They have generally presented colors of a light tone, bat the intense pearly brilliance of iridescent clouds, and sometimes have an altitude as high as 30 degrees. Some persons hare supposed that they are lighted by the sun. But as observed lasi July 13 in England, they were invisible until 10:18 p. m. when thoy became conspicuous and were at theif brightest near midnight. It has been suggested that these sky wonders may be formed by the condensation of gases ejected from the Krakatoa volcano in 1883. But this theory is not plausible. From their periodicity and their enormous altitude it seems very doubtful whether they belong at all to earth’s atmosphere. Herr O. Jesse of the Berlin astronomical observatory, referring to these facts in a recent circular, appeals to mariners and all others to make observations on these clouds during the next three months. His request is made more urgent by the consideration that, as the mysterious phenomenon was never noticed till 1885, it may Boon disapear not to bs soon again for centuries. Herr Jesss therefore requests that all who observe the shining clouds will record exact latitudes and longitudes of the place of observation, the exact time, the part of the sky in which the phenomenon is seen, form and color ol clouds, also sextant observations of the altitude of their highest points at precisely noted times, with spectroscopic tests of their light. By photography the height of these clouds above the earth’s surface has been made out as exceeding forty-five miles. From this fact it has been inferred that they may be of extra terrestrial origin, perhaps' revealing the existence of a resisting medium in interplanetary space. If so they would confirm the hypothesis of Encke, based on observations of the celebrated comet which bears his name, that there is a medium pervading space which offers resistance to a moving body just as the air opposes the flight of a cannon-bfil Eminent physicists have long reasoned that luminiferous ether prevades all space, and some have supposed it to be highly elastic, but absolutely solid. If the observations called for by Herr Jesse are accurately taken and prove that the height of the Bhining clouds exceeds the limits of our atmosphere the result might be a very important addition to the world’s knowledge ol cosmical agencies. The luminous night clouds have only been seen in the twlight, after the sun is about ten degrees below the horrizon. They resemble cirrus or ice clouds. But the two can be distinguished, because cirrus in twlight_are always darker than the surrounding sky, while the shining night-clouds are always brighter than the surrounding sky. As this summer may offer the last opportunity for observing the mysterious phenomenon it is to be hoped the Berlin astronomer’s appeal will not be in vain.