Aurora Islands facts for kids
The Aurora Islands were a group of three mysterious islands that explorers once thought existed in the South Atlantic Ocean. These islands were called "phantom islands" because they appeared on maps for many years but were never truly found again after their initial sightings. Imagine a secret place that only a few people ever saw!
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The Mystery of the Aurora Islands
The story of the Aurora Islands began in 1762. A Spanish merchant ship named Aurora was sailing from Lima, Peru, to Cádiz, Spain. Its crew reported seeing a group of islands. They saw them again in 1774. Another Spanish ship, the San Miguel, even recorded their exact spot using latitude and longitude.
Early Explorations and Reported Locations
In 1794, on February 20, another Spanish survey ship, the corvette Atrevida, also reported seeing the islands. This ship was part of a big journey around the world led by Alejandro Malaspina. The Atrevida was sent specifically to confirm if the islands were real. They said the islands were located in the South Atlantic, about halfway between the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Their reported location was around 53° South latitude and 48° West longitude. The latitude was thought to be very accurate. The longitude was measured from a special observatory in Spain.
The Aurora Islands continued to appear on maps of the South Atlantic until the 1870s. However, the last time anyone officially reported seeing them was in 1856. After that, they seemed to vanish, becoming a true mystery of the sea.
Did Amerigo Vespucci Discover Them?
Some historians wonder if the famous explorer Amerigo Vespucci might have seen the Aurora Islands much earlier, during his voyage in 1501–1502. Vespucci wrote that he sailed south-east from the coast of Brazil and reached a latitude of 50°S or 52°S. He described finding an island about 118 kilometers long.
However, there are reasons to doubt this. The only large islands known at 52°S are the Falkland Islands. But Vespucci's description of a "wild" coast without harbors doesn't really match the Falklands, which have many sheltered coves. Also, his description of the weather and long nights in April doesn't quite fit the season in that part of the world. This makes the idea of Vespucci seeing the Aurora Islands another part of their fascinating mystery.
What Could Explain the Aurora Islands?
Many people have tried to figure out what the Aurora Islands really were. One idea is that the sightings were actually huge icebergs. Icebergs can be very large and look like land from a distance, especially in foggy or stormy weather. Another thought is that the Aurora Islands might have been the Shag Rocks, which are a group of small, rocky islets in the same general area.
Some even suggest that the islands might have existed but then sank beneath the waves. We know that some volcanic islands can disappear over time due to natural processes. However, none of these explanations fully satisfy experts, and the Aurora Islands remain one of the great unsolved puzzles of the ocean.
Aurora Islands in Stories
The mystery of the Aurora Islands has inspired writers! They are featured in a 2001 novel called Hippolyte's Island by Barbara Hodgson. In this story, the main character rediscovers the islands. The islands also appear in a famous adventure novel by Edgar Allan Poe, called The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. In Poe's book, the characters search for the islands but cannot find them. These stories show how the idea of lost or phantom islands can capture our imaginations.
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