Observations on an Aurora Borealis

ID: SIA2010-0731

Creator: Unknown

Form/Genre: Document

Date: August 1872

Citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 60, Box 7, Folder: Aurora

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Summary

Observations taken from 9 p.m. August 3th to 2 a.m. August 9, 1872 in Holt County, Missouri, of an aurora. Detailed, timed observations on a single sized document in purple ink.

Subject

Henry, Joseph 1797-1878

Category

Historic Images of the Smithsonian

Notes

After he was appointed Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Joseph Henry's first major project was to create the Smithsonian Meteorological Project by using a countrywide network of voluntary observers to record climate information and send it to the Smithsonian via the growing telegraph network. The Smithsonian Meteorological Project existed from 1846-1870 and led to the founding of the National Weather Service.

Contained within

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 60, Box 7, Folder: Aurora

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

August 1872

Restrictions & Rights

No restrictions

Topic

  • Weather
  • Letters
  • Voluntarism
  • Volunteers
  • Missouri

Place

Missouri

Form/Genre

  • Document
  • Paper

ID Number

SIA2010-0731

Physical description

Number of Images: 1; Color: Black and white; Size: 8w x 12.5h; Type of Image: Document; Medium: Paper

Full Record

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