Meteoric Notes on the Night of Nov. 12. 633 



Art. IV. Notes of Observations made on the Night of Nov. 12. 

 1837. By the Rev. W. B. Clarke, A.M., F.G.S. 



(Read at the Meteorological Society.) 



The night of the 12 — 13th of November, being the 

 annual epoch of the supposed regular meteoric display so 

 much commented on of late, I carefully noticed the state of 

 the sky from sunset to sunrise; and the results of my observa- 

 tions are embodied in the following note. 



Nov. 12. A most splendid sunset succeeded a calm mild 

 day. — About 11 a. m. and 3 p. m., and again at 5 p. m., there 

 was appearance of rain falling in the west, along the ridge of 

 Purbeck ; but it was evidently absorbed before it reached the 

 earth; betokening, I conceive, an atmosphere milder below 

 than above. The western horizon, at sunset, was bright and 

 red; and, in the midst of the golden light that spread around, 

 the planet Venus was shining with intense brilliancy. The 

 moon (full on the 12th) was also shining in the east perfectly 

 cloudless ; and the whole heavens presented the appearance of 

 a summer, rather than an autumnal, night. About ten minutes 

 after the sun-light had faded, there appeared in the west a 

 light rosy-hued cloud, which seemed instantaneously to com- 

 municate the same rosy colour to some thin transparent 

 flakes of vapour (before invisible) in different portions of the 

 sky from the west to the east, passing under the zenith, where 

 there was also a spot of red. To remove all idea of this 

 being a lunar rainbow (as was conjectured by some, of the 

 similar phenomenon of Feb. 18. 1836 (of which I communi- 

 cated a notice to the Meteorological Society), I may mention 

 that thin lenticular rays of light, first white, then red, shot 

 up to the zenith from the western cloud, evidently of the 

 auroral character. — 5 h. 30 m. A cloud just the width of, and 

 over, Ursa Major, and on a level with that constellation, shot 

 out a red light, gradually extending to the east, sending streaks 

 to the zenith. — 5 h. 55 m. The streaks had become concentric 

 arches from north to south, red below, as if from light reflected 

 from the earth. At this time there was a small falling star in the 

 n. e. of no duration. — About 7 h. 20 m. there was a gentle 

 puff of wind, lasting 7 or 8 minutes, from the n.w. This 

 was succeeded by red pillars, from the magnetic, which, as 

 they came into the line of the zenith and magnetic east, tinged 

 with a deeper red colour all the white clouds, through which 

 the stars shone clear, but rather yellower than usual. At 

 eight o'clock, the clouds from the n. w. had extended them- 

 selves across the sky, till they had formed a series of •parallel 

 bands, but optically converging to the s. e. ; the former arch 



