A luminous display seen in the northern heavens in the northern
hemisphere, where it is the Aurora Borealis, and seen in the southern
heavens in the southern hemisphere, where it is called Aurora Australis,
or indifferently for either, the Aurora Polaris. It takes the form of
pale luminous bands, rays and curtains varying in color. Near the poles
they are very numerous. A French commission observed 150 auroras in 200
days. Their height is variously estimated at from 90 to 460 miles; they
are most frequent at the equinoxes and least so at the solstices. There
is a secular variation also, they attain a maximum of occurrence every
11 years together with sun spots, with a minimum 5 or 6 years after the
maximum. There is also a period of 60 years, coincident with
disturbances in the earth’s magnetism. Various attempts have been made
to account for them. They have a constant direction of arc with
reference to the magnetic meridian (q. v.) and act upon the magnetic
needle; in high latitudes they affect telegraph circuits violently.
There is a strong probability that they represent electric currents or
discharges. De la Rive considers them due to electric discharges between
the earth and atmosphere, which electricities are separated by the
action of the sun in equatorial regions. According to Balfour Stewart,
auroras and earth currents.(q. v.) may be regarded as secondary currents
due to small but rapid changes in the earth’s magnetism. The subject is
very obscure. Stewart treats the earth as representing the magnetic core
of an induction coil, the lower air is the dielectric, and the upper
rarefied and therefore conducting atmosphere is the secondary coil. This
makes the aurora a phenomenon of induced currents. Then the sun may be
regarded as the instigator of the primary changes in the earth’s lines
of force representing the primary of an induction coil.

[Transcriber's note: Solar wind, streams of electrons and protons,
interacting with the earth's magnetic field causes aurora. Neither
electrons (1897) nor protons (1920) were known in 1892. The Soviet
satellite Luna first measured the solar wind in 1959. Even today
increased understanding of solar and auroral phenomenon continues.]