298 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



Loomis, of Yale College, pronounced the exhibition more re- 

 markable than the one our European neighbors were favored 

 with one year ago, and but little inferior to that seen in the United 

 States in 1833. Reasoning from analogy in the case of the shower 

 34 years ago, astronomers confidently predicted this meteoric ex- 

 hibition, and arrangements were made in most of our observa- 

 tories for making systematic records of the shower. During the 

 greater part of the night the task of mapping down on star charts 

 the course and exact time of appearance of solitary meteors was 

 an easy one ; but toward morning their appearance became so 

 frequent that the observers ceased their efforts to time and map 

 them, and only counted. The authority above quoted states that at 

 New Haven the shower reached its greatest magnitude at 4.30 A.M., 

 over 500 being then counted by one observer in an hour. And 

 as one individual can watch but about one-sixth of the hemisphere, 

 according to the usual method of computation, 3,000, at least, 

 were at this time visible in the whole heavens, and, without doubt, 

 twice that number actually came within the field of vision, but 

 were eclipsed by the superior light of the full moon. From all 

 parts of the country have come reports of the beauty and bril- 

 liancy of the shower.- Even the inhabitants of our Pacific States 

 witnessed it, although, of course, it reached its full grandeur at 

 an hour much earlier than with us. The display was not visible 

 in England or on the continent. 



The time when the shower attained its greatest brilliancy was, 

 in this section, two hours later than that given by European ob- 

 servers of last year. 



Beside the above report from Prof. Loomis, several were pub- 

 lished in the Xew York Tribune, as follows : 



Dudley Observatory, Albany, Nov. 14, 7 A. M. The grand me- 

 teoric shower was observed with complete success at the Dudley 

 Observatory. Between 4 and 5 o'clock, A. M., was visible the 

 grandest display of shooting stars in the United States since 1833. 

 From 11.30 P. M., until 3.45 A. M., it was more or less cloudy and 

 but few meteors were seen ; but about 4 o'clock they began to fall 

 with great frequency, and their numbers continued to increase 

 until 4.30 A. M., after which they gradually decreased in fre- 

 quency until rendered invisible by sunrise. The greatest number 

 fell at 4.31 A. M., when 47 were counted in a single minute. 

 During the maximum of frequency sometimes 6 or 8 would burst 

 out simultaneously, making one of the grandest sights we have 

 ever witnessed. From 4 o'clock to 5 o'clock 1,200 had been 

 noted, but it is presumed a large number escaped observation. 

 The total number counted up to 6 A. M. was 1,301. From that 

 time until sunrise only a few brilliant ones were observed. Many 

 were seen surpassing Sirius in splendor, and giving off trains of 

 light from 10 to 15 degrees in length. One curious phenomenon 

 was the continuance of the train after the meteor itself had disap- 

 peared. 



In one case the trains remained visible for 65 seconds, and in 

 quite a number of cases the time exceeded 30 seconds, the radi- 

 ant point was in the constellation Leo, right ascension about 10 



