Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 6, 2022 11:40:56 GMT 12
Does anyone here remember this? Did you witness it? Crazy times, thank goodness they do not detonate these things in the Pacific nowadays.
BOMB TEST CAUSES AURORA OVER N.Z.
Scientists Surprised At Strength Of Blast
(N.Z. Press Association) DUNEDIN, July 9.
A brilliant artificial aurora, which resulted from the American high-altitude bomb test in the Pacific, startled observers throughout New Zealand tonight and sent instruments right off scale at the auroral station of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in Lauder, Central Otago. Scientists at the station listened to the test count-down. Immediately after the explosion, needles and dials went crazy. The strength of the explosion far exceeded their expectations. A brilliant red flash and sustained glow in the north-eastern sky shortly after 9 p.m. was followed shortly afterwards by New Zealand-wide reports of the sighting of the artificial aurora.
The flash coincided exactly with the detonation of the high-altitude nuclear device above Johnston Island in the Pacific. The artificial aurora reached New Zealand within seconds of the blast. An Auckland reporter, who was monitoring the count-down on a short-wave radio, ran outside a few seconds after count zero was reached to see the aurora developing in the north.
The aurora was one of the most brilliant ever seen in Auckland. Watchers saw it start as an intense glow above the northern horizon. It spread rapidly across the clear, starlit sky to the southern horizon.
Then the luminous red band widened, and quivering white shafts of light could be seen within it. The display lasted about 10 minutes. It gradually faded until only a faint red glow was left in the sky.
"Really Beautiful”
The pilot of a Canadian Pacific Airlines jet-prop Britannia 400 miles out over the Tasman Sea reported by radio to the company's operations staff at Whenuapai that the sky was a brilliant red. “You should be here —it’s really beautiful.” he shouted exuberantly into his microphone. The Britannia, flying 16 hours ahead of schedule because of the bomb test, had taken off from Whenuapai an hour and a half earlier. Radio signals from the aircraft to Auckland were weak for about five minutes after the explosion.
New Zealand scientists, who had doubted whether the artificial aurora would even be seen in New Zealand, were amazed at its intensity “I would never have expected it,” said Dr. E. I Robertson. director of the Geophysics Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research “But there's no doubt it was produced by the bomb.
“The aurora was very similar to that seen in Samoa in 1958, when similar tests were carried out at Johnston Island.” he said. Dr M Gadsen, a DSIR scientist at the Lauder station, discounted reports that the display in the sky was the aurora australis “These are definitely the result of the tests." he said. All the instruments leapt right off scale simultaneously with the end of the countdown 96sec after 9 p m They were back to normal 10 minutes later.
Dr Gadsen said there was a big red light in the sky to the north-east. “It stretched up from the horizon to just past the zenith, a band about 20deg wide," he said. “Except that it was in the wrong part of the sky, it was just like an ordinary aurora ” The station had a continuous photographic sequence of the event, which he though' might have some blemishes from the moon and clouds The bright glow was reported from Whangarei, Levin, New Plymouth, Wellington, Kaitaia, Nelson, Hamilton and Timaru—practically every place where the sky was clear.
Some watchers in Whangarei said they could still see a faint pink glow in the sky three-quarters of an hour after the aurora began. It was so bright in Auckland at one stage that a telegraph boy who saw it from the waterfront said: "The sea was as red as blood ”
Anxiety in Auckland
The “New Zealand Herald” office in Auckland was flooded with telephone calls from people anxious to know the cause of the aurora. Many of the callers were perturbed and anxious. Some were frankly scared and panicky and one woman sounded close to hysteria.
Telephone calls from Morrinsville, Cambridge, Ngauruawahia, and hundreds from Hamilton jammed the switchboards of the “Waikato Times” in Hamilton. Mr A. Rowe, of Ngauruawahia, who was outside, said the sky lit up with a blood-red flash. There were white streaks through it and as it faded it gave the appearance of an aurora. “But it was definitely no aurora for a start.” he said.
Flying Object Seen
An unidentified object hurtled over the central Bay of Plenty coast at 9 o’clock leaving a fiery trail hanging in the sky for several minutes. The object, which eyewitnesses described as appearing larger than the moon, traversed the sky in a couple of seconds and disappeared behind hills west of Whakatane.
Constable Douglas Gray, of Whakatane, said the object seemed to come from the north of White Island, an active volcano 30 miles off the coast, and lit the whole sky with a whitish glow. The centre of the ball appeared multi-coloured, said Constable Gray and the rim was surrounded by lines resembling rocket trails. Telephone lines in the district were jammed by persons inquiring about the phenomena.
Taranaki’s northern sky was brilliantly illuminated. “Mount Egmont was pink. It was terrific.” said Mr H van Stigt. At the Dawson Falls tourist lodge on the southern side of the mountain, a television set “went completely haywire” about 9 p.m., said the proprietor, Mr A. F Horne.
According to the director of the Carter Observatory, Mr I. L. Thomsen, the glow over Wellington was probably nothing more than a general reflection of city lights on the clouds.
“I do not think it had anything to do with the effects of the bomb,” said Mr Thomsen. Such glows over the countryside were not unusual, especially if there was cloud in the sky. If the sky had been perfectly clear at the time of the glow, then it would have been unusual.
“There is nothing to indicate that the glow was even an aurora," said Mr Thomsen “But with everyone watching the sky for unusual glows tonight, I am sure quite a few people saw glows that weren't even there."
PRESS, 10 JULY 1962
BOMB TEST CAUSES AURORA OVER N.Z.
Scientists Surprised At Strength Of Blast
(N.Z. Press Association) DUNEDIN, July 9.
A brilliant artificial aurora, which resulted from the American high-altitude bomb test in the Pacific, startled observers throughout New Zealand tonight and sent instruments right off scale at the auroral station of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in Lauder, Central Otago. Scientists at the station listened to the test count-down. Immediately after the explosion, needles and dials went crazy. The strength of the explosion far exceeded their expectations. A brilliant red flash and sustained glow in the north-eastern sky shortly after 9 p.m. was followed shortly afterwards by New Zealand-wide reports of the sighting of the artificial aurora.
The flash coincided exactly with the detonation of the high-altitude nuclear device above Johnston Island in the Pacific. The artificial aurora reached New Zealand within seconds of the blast. An Auckland reporter, who was monitoring the count-down on a short-wave radio, ran outside a few seconds after count zero was reached to see the aurora developing in the north.
The aurora was one of the most brilliant ever seen in Auckland. Watchers saw it start as an intense glow above the northern horizon. It spread rapidly across the clear, starlit sky to the southern horizon.
Then the luminous red band widened, and quivering white shafts of light could be seen within it. The display lasted about 10 minutes. It gradually faded until only a faint red glow was left in the sky.
"Really Beautiful”
The pilot of a Canadian Pacific Airlines jet-prop Britannia 400 miles out over the Tasman Sea reported by radio to the company's operations staff at Whenuapai that the sky was a brilliant red. “You should be here —it’s really beautiful.” he shouted exuberantly into his microphone. The Britannia, flying 16 hours ahead of schedule because of the bomb test, had taken off from Whenuapai an hour and a half earlier. Radio signals from the aircraft to Auckland were weak for about five minutes after the explosion.
New Zealand scientists, who had doubted whether the artificial aurora would even be seen in New Zealand, were amazed at its intensity “I would never have expected it,” said Dr. E. I Robertson. director of the Geophysics Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research “But there's no doubt it was produced by the bomb.
“The aurora was very similar to that seen in Samoa in 1958, when similar tests were carried out at Johnston Island.” he said. Dr M Gadsen, a DSIR scientist at the Lauder station, discounted reports that the display in the sky was the aurora australis “These are definitely the result of the tests." he said. All the instruments leapt right off scale simultaneously with the end of the countdown 96sec after 9 p m They were back to normal 10 minutes later.
Dr Gadsen said there was a big red light in the sky to the north-east. “It stretched up from the horizon to just past the zenith, a band about 20deg wide," he said. “Except that it was in the wrong part of the sky, it was just like an ordinary aurora ” The station had a continuous photographic sequence of the event, which he though' might have some blemishes from the moon and clouds The bright glow was reported from Whangarei, Levin, New Plymouth, Wellington, Kaitaia, Nelson, Hamilton and Timaru—practically every place where the sky was clear.
Some watchers in Whangarei said they could still see a faint pink glow in the sky three-quarters of an hour after the aurora began. It was so bright in Auckland at one stage that a telegraph boy who saw it from the waterfront said: "The sea was as red as blood ”
Anxiety in Auckland
The “New Zealand Herald” office in Auckland was flooded with telephone calls from people anxious to know the cause of the aurora. Many of the callers were perturbed and anxious. Some were frankly scared and panicky and one woman sounded close to hysteria.
Telephone calls from Morrinsville, Cambridge, Ngauruawahia, and hundreds from Hamilton jammed the switchboards of the “Waikato Times” in Hamilton. Mr A. Rowe, of Ngauruawahia, who was outside, said the sky lit up with a blood-red flash. There were white streaks through it and as it faded it gave the appearance of an aurora. “But it was definitely no aurora for a start.” he said.
Flying Object Seen
An unidentified object hurtled over the central Bay of Plenty coast at 9 o’clock leaving a fiery trail hanging in the sky for several minutes. The object, which eyewitnesses described as appearing larger than the moon, traversed the sky in a couple of seconds and disappeared behind hills west of Whakatane.
Constable Douglas Gray, of Whakatane, said the object seemed to come from the north of White Island, an active volcano 30 miles off the coast, and lit the whole sky with a whitish glow. The centre of the ball appeared multi-coloured, said Constable Gray and the rim was surrounded by lines resembling rocket trails. Telephone lines in the district were jammed by persons inquiring about the phenomena.
Taranaki’s northern sky was brilliantly illuminated. “Mount Egmont was pink. It was terrific.” said Mr H van Stigt. At the Dawson Falls tourist lodge on the southern side of the mountain, a television set “went completely haywire” about 9 p.m., said the proprietor, Mr A. F Horne.
According to the director of the Carter Observatory, Mr I. L. Thomsen, the glow over Wellington was probably nothing more than a general reflection of city lights on the clouds.
“I do not think it had anything to do with the effects of the bomb,” said Mr Thomsen. Such glows over the countryside were not unusual, especially if there was cloud in the sky. If the sky had been perfectly clear at the time of the glow, then it would have been unusual.
“There is nothing to indicate that the glow was even an aurora," said Mr Thomsen “But with everyone watching the sky for unusual glows tonight, I am sure quite a few people saw glows that weren't even there."
PRESS, 10 JULY 1962
