About noon
It was not till the last day of November that we entirely lost sight of the sun , and the long arctic night commenced . But the night of that region can not be compared to the dark , gloomy nights of more southern climes . Overhead the sky was generally beautifully clear , and the moon and stars shining on the snow gave a light scarcely less bright than that of day . About noon , also , there was always a twilight , and in clear weather a beautiful arch of bright red light was seen over the southern horizon . Besides this , the aurora borealis frequently lighted up the sky with its brilliant hues , like some magnificent firework on a grand scale . I watched a very beautiful aurora one night in the south-west , which extended its glowing radiance as far as the zenith . Fancy a bright arch suddenly bursting forth in the dark-blue sky , sending up streamers of many hues -- orange , crimson , and purple -- while bright coruscations were emitted from it , completely obscuring the stars in the neighbourhood !