
A CATALOGUE OF OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 18] 
been a clap of thunder in a hail-storm during the day, which was showery ; 
and there were a few clouds in the sky at the time, and a faint haze in the 
place where it appeared. Ii might, perhaps, be an electric spark ; its instan- 
taneous disappearance rendered this likely, but no report followed, nor did it, 
as far as I can judge, illuminate the haze in which it appeared. 
1828. Aug. 22.—A beautiful shooting star as large as Venus passed in a 
long tract from S.E. to N.W. under Cassiopeia, about 9" 10™ p.m. It seemed 
to become extinct by degrees. 
1828. Aug. 28.—About 10" 30™ a beautiful shooting star was seen, whose 
course was from S.E. to N.W., not less than 40° long, a little S. of the zenith. 
It was of the Ist magnitude. About the middle of its course it became duller, 
moved slower as I thought, and was perhapsa little deflected: it then resumed 
its first appearance: it seemed to leave a train on disappearing, but I could 
not tell, the moon being bright, and I not using an eye-glass. 
1828. Sept. 29.—At 10" 52™ a brilliant falling star appeared, which had a 
short course close to the horizon a little to the W. of the W. extremity of a 
fine auroral light in the N. horizon. It made an angle of 60° or 70° with the 
horizon (as a streamer might have been supposed to do in that situation), 
being deflected to the right as it advanced. It was gradually extinguished. It - 
had a blue colour, as bright as Venus. 
1828. Dec. 1.—(At the close of the memorandum of an aurora borealis, 
the following occurs) :—Several falling stars were seen, whose courses were in 
opposite directions. 
- 1830. June 25.—(The following is added to an account of a most tremen- 
dous thunder-storm.) The storm passed about two miles E. of Gloucester at 
10®p.M., and at some period between 10" 20™ and 10" 40™, Mr. , who had 
a complete view of the whole, perceived a strange meteor in the W. or W.S.W., 
where the sky was cloudy, precisely like the moon behind clouds, of the same 
colour, and nearly as large, so that he thought for a moment it had been the 
moon. He called several other people, who all saw it. It lasted about three 
minutes as near as he could judge, and gradually disappeared as if obscured 
by clouds, or retiring in a straight line backwards, for it was quite stationary. 
He stated also that he saw another thing of thesame kind, very much smaller, 
on the same night. But query, was it not the moon? [Supposing it to have 
been actually a meteor, and the observer, an educated and intelligent man, 
might not have been supposed liable to such a mistake, though the moon was, 
I believe, actually in that quarter, some light may be obtained from the fol- 
lowing memorandum, which occurs under 1831, Feb. 6.] Mr. J.B » an 
accurate observer of nature, told me that about the beginning of Sept. 1830 
(a note states that there can*be no doubt, from the account of another per- 
son, that the correct date was June 25) a thunder-storm came on towards 
night, the lightning of which was of a remarkable pale hue, and had not so 
much the appearance of flashing as of rolling from one cloud to another, and 
chiefly from N.E.to S.W. (This observation was made in the South of Here- 
fordshire.) When it had passed off, and the sky was clear, about mid- 
night, though it still lightened at a distance. towards N.E., as he was return- 
ing home, a meteor suddenly broke out in the E. horizon, and passed rapidly 
across the sky till it disappeared in the W. horizon. He described it as a cloud 
of fire, of the deepest red, of surprising brilliancy, especially at its first break- 
ing out; so that while it passed any minute thing might have been seen upon 
the ground. He described it as appearing as large as his garden, but taper- 
ing at the two ends: it produced no noise, and the whole appearance was 
over in a quarter of a minute. 
1830. Nov. 11.—(After some streamers of an aurora in the N. about 9" 
P.M.) Just afterwards a very large falling star was seen E.N.E. 


