EIGHT SUNS

Evening Star, Issue 19787, 10 February 1928, Page 7

EIGHT SUNS

LIGHT PHENOMENON AT STOCK -

HOLM

Eight anus were visible in the Archipelago of Stockholm on the morning of October 23, and in the city itself four suns could bo seen on the horizon at 7.30 in tho morning, encircled by a clearly defined rainbow.

Shortly after -sunrise, while, the sun was still low on the horizon, and slightly veiled by a. thin mist, around the sun at a radius of about. 30 degrees a narrow ring with a rose-colored inner edge was seen to form a, halfcircle. In this ring three points were especially prominent—two on a, line with the sun to the east and west of it, and tho third at the zenith of the half-circle. These bright points shortly developed to veritable bi-suns, which shone with intense light.. Near these suns the ring was strongly colored with all the colors of the rainbow. Tho two hi-suns in a line with tho -sun were not circular in form, hut drawn out so as to resemble two comets with long tails away from tho sun. At tho zenith of the rain-how-colored circle a bright horseshoe formed how lay convex to tho sun. Where this bow made contact with the circle, the third, bright, stronglycolored bi-sun shone.

Furthermore, cpiito outside Ihe original ring, at twice the, distance from the sun, a .second ring was seen, though intermittent in its entirety. This ring was also red at the inner edge. It even had a bow convex to tho sun tangent at its zenith, broad and in the form of a segment of a circle, in strong colors. This wonderful colored rainbow high up in (he firmament especially drew the attention of spectators. An inner ring around the sun at about 22 degrees is not so unusual in Non-land; the bi-suns, however, are seldom so bright as those just seen in Stockholm. But the outer colored ring and its completement, tho bow touching its zenith, are rarely seen. The horizontal bi-suns at tho east and west with comet-like form and brightly shining aro also very rare. This sun halo phenomenon reminds ns most nearly of the “Roman Lights” recorded hy Father Scheiner in Rome in 1630, the oldest of the three famous examples of similar appearances. On this occasion no less than seven suns were visible. AVith the Roman phenomenon may ho mentioned the remarkable halo pictures in Danzig, 1661, and the fairy-tale like display of Petersburg, 1794. There are also well-known examples of a similar sort from Stockholm’s horizon painted on the so-called “ vadersol ” (weather vane) pictured in the Stockholm “ Storkyrakian,” which, according to tho inscription, dated from 1535, but in reality occurred in 1502. To judge from the painting, however, the recent phenomenon in Stockholm was of a more exceptional character, as it entirely corresponded with the pattern of its classic antecedent.