The Great Second Advent Movement: Its Rise and Progress

STRANGE APPEARANCE OF THE SUN

The small inner circle represents the sun. It was of a light orange hue. The outer part of the two circles at unequal distances from and surrounding the sun, appeared of the same hue; but the inner part of these circles was a deep yellow, the sky within those circles appearing of a dusky brown color, and the three large circles passing through and below the sun, appeared as of distinct bright light. GSAM 115.1

Of the occurrence in England we read, in a letter from E. Lloyd, London, Jan. 3, 1844, as follows:— GSAM 115.2

“There has been a remarkable ‘sign in the sun,’ seen by the principal citizens of Norwich and the surrounding country, such as has never been seen in England before. It was seen in December last, about 12 o’clock at noon, and continued for two hours. It very much alarmed the inhabitants. It occurred just before Brethren Winter, Burgess, and Routon opened their mission in that city. It seemed to prepare the way for the truth, so that they met with good success there.” GSAM 115.3

The account of the phenomenon as it occurred in New Haven, Conn., is given in the Midnight Cry of Oct. 10, 1844, and was taken from the New Haven Palladium of Sept. 10, 1844. In the account in the Cry the editor says, “No philosopher has been able to give an explanation of the cause of this phenomenon which satisfies himself.” GSAM 116.1

An account of this sight which appeared in connection with the sun in New Haven, Conn., Sept. 9, 1844, was also published in the Hartford Courant of Sept. 12, 1844, and reads as follows:— GSAM 116.2

“The rings around the sun on Monday, Sept. 9, 1844, for two hours before and after midday, appear to have been generally observed by our citizens with much interest, and have awakened an intelligent curiosity to learn more respecting appearances of the same kind and their cause. GSAM 116.3

“The present halo was remarkable for its duration, and afforded favorable opportunities for observation. About midday it consisted chiefly of two complete rings, one about forty-five degrees in breadth, encircling the sun at its center, and the other about seventy-two degrees broad, having its center in the zenith, while its circumference passed through the sun. The smaller circle was accompanied by an ellipse of the major axis, and of small eccentricity. Directly opposite the sun, and thirty-six degrees north of the zenith, the large circle was intersected by two other circles of nearly or quite the same diameter, forming at the point of intersection a bright spot, such as would naturally result from the combined light of three luminous rings. The ring that encircled the sun exhibited the colors of the rainbow, frequently with much vividness and beauty. The other rings were white and fainter, as they were more distant from the sun. Small portions of circles, however, with prismatic [rainbow] hues, appeared at different times, both in the east and west.... Such uniformity of structure must depend on some law which regulates the formation of halos; but the nature of the law is not fully developed.... Not much difficulty has been experienced in accounting for the production of the ring that encircles the sun, since the cause is somewhat similar to that which produces the rainbow, but to explain the origin of the ring which has its circumference in the sun’s center, has been found more difficult.” GSAM 116.4