REMARKABLE AURORA OF MAY 14-15, 1921.
By HERBERT LYMAN.
[Weather Bureau, Washingtan, August 1, 1921.]
Sunny Bank, Gordon Town, about 6 miles to northeast of Kingston, Jamaica.
On Saturday evening, May 14, at 10:40 p. m., the northern sky was filled to an altitude of 50° with a ruddy glow, which appeared something like the reflection of a tremendous bush fire, but approximated rather to a crimson color. At the same time shafts of orange light were projected from hehind the hills, coverimg about 60° of the northern sky, in azimuth, and reaching an altitude of 40°. Each shaft of light was like the beam of a searchlight, its edges sharply defined, but was less diffused, i. e., the beam was of more nearly the same breadth throughout its length. The more remarkable feature was the constancy of the shafts of light. There was no movement noticeable during the 20 minutes or so during which they were under observation. At one time 16 shafts were counted over the space of about 60° in azimuth, and these remained steady for a considerable time.
This appears the more remarkable when we remember the latitude of observation 18° north. - Lieut. A. W. Tuckcr.
Negri1 Point Lighthouse, West Jamaica.
On Sunday, 15, at 12:45 a. m., a strange light from the north-northwest and north was seen by the keepers on the horizon. It was yellowish white, and resembled, from the description given, the aurora borealis or northern light. It was seen for some little time alter 1 a. m. Sunday, but how long the keepers cannot say, as it did not interest them very much, and they thought it may have been a search1ight.- J.B. Brownhill, superintendent.
Morant Point Lighthouse (to the east of Jamaica).
The aurora borealis was seen here on Sunday (15th) morning from 1 to 2 o’clcck. There was a rosy flush in the northern sky, and at 1:20 a. m. the “lances of light” appeared, reaching upward to 5O°, alternately fading and brightening until 2 a. m., when the aurora faded out. - Ch. Durrant, superintendent.
By HERBERT LYMAN.
[Weather Bureau, Washingtan, August 1, 1921.]
Sunny Bank, Gordon Town, about 6 miles to northeast of Kingston, Jamaica.
On Saturday evening, May 14, at 10:40 p. m., the northern sky was filled to an altitude of 50° with a ruddy glow, which appeared something like the reflection of a tremendous bush fire, but approximated rather to a crimson color. At the same time shafts of orange light were projected from hehind the hills, coverimg about 60° of the northern sky, in azimuth, and reaching an altitude of 40°. Each shaft of light was like the beam of a searchlight, its edges sharply defined, but was less diffused, i. e., the beam was of more nearly the same breadth throughout its length. The more remarkable feature was the constancy of the shafts of light. There was no movement noticeable during the 20 minutes or so during which they were under observation. At one time 16 shafts were counted over the space of about 60° in azimuth, and these remained steady for a considerable time.
This appears the more remarkable when we remember the latitude of observation 18° north. - Lieut. A. W. Tuckcr.
Negri1 Point Lighthouse, West Jamaica.
On Sunday, 15, at 12:45 a. m., a strange light from the north-northwest and north was seen by the keepers on the horizon. It was yellowish white, and resembled, from the description given, the aurora borealis or northern light. It was seen for some little time alter 1 a. m. Sunday, but how long the keepers cannot say, as it did not interest them very much, and they thought it may have been a search1ight.- J.B. Brownhill, superintendent.
Morant Point Lighthouse (to the east of Jamaica).
The aurora borealis was seen here on Sunday (15th) morning from 1 to 2 o’clcck. There was a rosy flush in the northern sky, and at 1:20 a. m. the “lances of light” appeared, reaching upward to 5O°, alternately fading and brightening until 2 a. m., when the aurora faded out. - Ch. Durrant, superintendent.
Daily Gleaner, Tuesday, May 17, 1921
Washington May 15.
The unusually severe Aurora Borealis of last night was caused by an
immense sun spot, officials of the National Observatory said. The
spot, which is 94,000 miles around, 21,000 miles wide, was observed
on May 10th, when it was photographed at the Observatory and it was
again photographed yesterday. Officials said it was visible to the naked
eye today, and could be readily seen through smoked glass. It will not
disappear until the eruption of internal gases, which caused it,
subsides.
As in other instances of major sun spot activity there were reports of disruptive effects on communication systems.
Low-latitude auroras: the magnetic storm of 14–15
May 1921 S. M. Silverman E. W. Cliver Air Force Research Laboratory Effects on telegraph, cable and wireless Effects of the storm on communications were widespread and severe. In New Zealand (Gibbs, 1921), for example, signals at all radio stations were very erratic, telegraph lines suffered from violent fluctuations of current, and unusual interference was experienced at certain telephone exchanges. Overall the disturbances were of greater magnitude and more far-reaching than had previously been observed in New Zealand. In the United States telegraph service was affected to an unprecedented extent, such that on the 14th service virtually ended near midnight on lines from the Atlantic Coast to the Mississippi (New York Times, 15 May 1921). In one instance it took an operator nearly an hour and a half to transmit 150 words from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to the New York Times. Wireless signals from Berlin, Germany and Bordeaux, France, however, were strengthened. The storm was reported to have “blown out fuses, injured electrical apparatus and done other things which had never been caused by any ground and ocean currents known in the past”. It was anticipated that ships would have to drag up submarine cables to repair the damage (New York Times, 17 May 1921). The storm was reported to have burned out a telephone station in Sweden, and probably to have contributed to a fire in a New York signal tower. French telegraph lines were also affected, and “seemed possessed by evil spirits”. The Central New England Railroad station in Brewster, NY was destroyed by a fire which originated in the telegraph. The telegraph operator said that “he was driven away from his instrument by a flare of flame which enveloped the switchboard and ignited the building”. In the western United States telegraph communication was disrupted in Denver, Colorado; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Francisco, California; Seattle and Spokane, Washington; Winnemucca, Nevada; and Helena, Montana. Cable and telegraph lines to Alaska were completely out of commission for a time (Lyman, 1921).
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