PROGRESS OF METEORIC ASTRONOMY 453 



hoped at one time that the camera would entirely supersede 

 the rough estimates of the flight which only momentary 

 glimpses afford us ; but this has been far from realised. The 

 ordinary shooting star falls, and the exposed plate shows no 

 more sign of it than the sky after the last vestige has dis- 

 appeared. But some excellent individual records of fireballs 

 have been obtained. Thus a Perseid fireball of August 12, 

 1909, appeared at 9 hrs. 42 min., and gave a flash like lightning. 

 It was seen by the writer, and thirty-five reports came in from 

 other observers, among them being a good photographic im- 

 pression of the trail (English Mechanic, 1909, September 10). 



Another fireball of lesser note was photographed at Chester 

 on September 6 by Mr. Longbottom, while he had a plate 

 exposed in the region of Andromeda ; and should another 

 observation come to hand, the real path of the meteor could be 

 accurately found. But for the registry of normal meteors and 

 ordinary star showers, this method does not apply in the 

 present state of our means ; this is regrettable, for photographs 

 would at once ensure accuracy in a field where large errors 

 are often unavoidable. 



But after all, these errors chiefly affect inexperienced ob- 

 servers. My opinion is that after a man has carefully recorded 

 2,000 meteors he has attained the practice necessary to ensure 

 skill in the work. Meteors like the Leonids, Perseids, and 

 Orionids, which leave streaks along their tracks, can be noted 

 almost with critical exactness by a man who has a natural 

 aptitude for the work. For meteoric observers, like poets, are 

 born, not made. Some labourers in this field have been as 

 accurate as men could well be ; others have been terribly wild 

 and unsuited for the work — unfortunately the latter class 

 have formed the majority. No amount of training will ensure 

 precision in some instances, because the observer lacks the 

 special qualities essential to success. 



During the last few years the adherents of meteoric astronomy 

 have not exhibited much enthusiasm. This department seems 

 quiet, and it needs a splendid shower from Halley's comet in 

 May to revive it and excite the ardour of observers. It ever 

 offers a fine field of work and will always occupy a high 

 place among astronomers. 



The spectroscope has been applied to meteors ; but these 

 transient bodies are rather intractable to interrogations of this 



