Abstract
AT 1051 G.M.T. on August 1, 1958, Mr. J. G. Keys, observer-in-charge at Apia Observatory, latitude 13° 48′ S., longitude 171° 46′ W., witnessed at Apia a manifestation which was at first thought to be a display of the aurora australis but is now believed to be due to a nuclear bomb explosion in the upper atmosphere. The occurrence of an auroral display in the tropics is always of unusual interest to geophysicists because of its exceeding rarity. In particular, the Aurora Australis has been reported at Apia on one occasion only, and then only in association with the severe magnetic storm of May 13–16, 1921. This display was described in detail by Angenheister1 and Angenheister and Westland2.
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References
Angenheister, G., Terr. Mag., 26, 116 (1921).
Angenheister, G., and Westland, C. J., Terr Mag., 26, 30 (1921).
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CULLINGTON, A. A Man-made or Artifical Aurora. Nature 182, 1365–1366 (1958). https://doi.org/10.1038/1821365a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1821365a0
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