" ee 
A CATALOGUE OF OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 7 
the light when it crossed the auroral arch became instantly more brilliant, 
and remained visible longer in the arch than in any other portion of its track ; 
it vanished about 5° beyond the auroral arch. Many other falling stars were 
visible during the evening, but no other crossed the arch. 
On this day a large meteor of a globular form burst over the town of 
_ Mentz at a height of only 150 feet from the earth. It gave out a brilliant 
_ light, followed by an immense quantity of black smoke. (From the Athe- 
- neum or Lit. Gazette.) 
16. 1846. July 25th. All night many falling stars. 
17. 1846. July 30th. At night many falling stars, especially in the Great 
Bear. 9% 3™. One of the most brilliant of them fell through the two stars to 
the north of the Pointers, 7.e. A and vy Draconis. 
18. 1846. September 10th, 9" 45™. A falling star passed through an 
auroral arch at a Andromedz ; it instantly brightened as it crossed the pha- 
nomenon. The case of suddenly brightening occurred twice more, viz. at 
_ 9 54™, when a falling star crossed the arch at a Pegasi ; and at 92 56™ 408, 
when another meteor passed through the phenomenon, also at a Pegasi. 
Several falling stars were also noticed in Ursa Major. I conceived that the 
falling stars moved with greater rapidity this evening than I had noticed them 
do before. The falling stars were of a pale blue colour, of small size, and 
had luminous tails. 
19. 1845. April 24th,9"32™. Noticed a small falling star in Ursa Major. 
At 95 35™, the night, which was very dark, suddenly became light as day, 
and the objects, near and distant, were visible as plainly as in broad daylight; 
immediately a magnificent meteor of a blue colour was seen traversing the 
_ interval from the zenith to 30° S. by E. of it (the zenith). Its apparent size 
was very nearly equal to that of the moon’s disc, and perfectly round in form, 
but its brilliancy far surpassed that luminary ; its intensity of light could not 
possibly have been less than three times that of our satellite. No train of 
light was left behind it, and the meteor, after moving 30° in the direction of 
_ §. by E., which it accomplished in less than three seconds, exploded near 
| @ Leonis Majoris, and moved in small fragments of light for the space of 1°, 
oo then became suddenly extinguished. It appeared of no considerable 
height in the air. The meteor passed through the stars 21, 30, 40 and 41 
- Leonis Minoris ; 95, 96, y, 59, 7, and 75 Leonis Majoris. (This meteor was 
L, seen in Greenwich Park by Sir John Herschel, who calculated its height to 
have been 90 miles ; see Atmos. Phen. p. 230.) 
- 20. 1845. July 29, 8" 16™. A meteor resembling a large spark from a 
- candle was seen in a N., slightly W. direction; it was extremely bright, but 
not larger in appearance than the Pole-star. This meteor appeared to be 
"very little elevated above our earth. I have never before noticed one which 
_ appeared so low down in the atmosphere. Ishould say a hundred yards was 
the greatest height it could be; it had not the appearance that meteors gene- 
_Yally have, but resembled a spark drawn from an electrical machine. 
_ 21. 1846. May 29th, 11" 5™. A brilliant caudate meteor of a red colour 
fell from the star ¢ Ophiuchi, through 23, « and @ Ophiuchi, through 
_ o Herculis, and faded away near a Lyra. The course was one in which these 
_ Meteors are not often observed to travel, being from the direction of the 
horizon into the zenith. 
_ 22. 1846. September 25th. A very grand meteor at about ten o'clock ; 
when first noticed at Nottingham it was about 20° E. of the zenith, and fell 
