22 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



when first seen, seems to have been about 45°, azimuth south 

 10° west, and it crossed the meridian in a path inclined fifty degrees 

 to the horizon ; its course being towards the southeast, through an arc 

 of ten or twenty degrees. The colors were red and blue. This 

 same body was also seen from New Haven, Connecticut ; and, from 

 a comparison of the New Haven and Cambridge apparent positions, 

 it appears that the distance of the meteor, when first seen, was about 

 one hundred and fifty miles from our station, and its height above the 

 earth one hundred miles. It passed over Newport, Rhode Island, 

 Taunton and Quincy, Massachusetts, descending to the earth near 

 Boston Bay. Meteors of large size have been of frequent occurrence 

 in difTerent parts of the world during the months of August and Sep- 

 tember of this year. 



" 1846. Telescopic meteors have frequently passed the field of 

 view of the comet-seeker during this season, sometimes as many as 

 five or six on a single night. From their comparative velocities, 

 these would seem to be more distant than those visible to the naked 

 eye. 



" July 20lh. A 1 9^- 55"- a meteor was seen from the Observatory, 

 in brightness equal to Venus ; its course from 77 Cygni to near a Cas- 

 siopese ; its color preceding was a dark red, inclining to purple ; the 

 following, a yellowish white. The position was well determined by 

 two observers ; but we have no other observations of it for com- 

 parison. 



" Several attempts have been made to ascertain the amount of par- 

 allax of the smaller shooting-stars, but the evenings selected for the 

 purpose have proved unfavorable. In some instances, however, the 

 results seem to indicate a closer proximity than has usually been as- 

 signed to these objects. 



" August lOth. Evening cloudy, with rain. 



^'■August 11th. This evening, shooting stars were abundant, aver- 

 aging about one in a minute, in a space occupying one quarter of the 

 heavens. The head of Perseus was the principal radiating point. At 

 jQh. 2Qm. ^ meteor, brighter than Venus, passed from a Cassiopere, 

 through the square of Pegasus, to about 80 Pegasi. The colors were 

 blue preceding, followed by red and white ; it had a cometary tail of 

 dense white light." 



