A CATALOGUE OP OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 49 



No. 26.— Letter from the Rev. T. Rankin. 



" Huggate, near Pocklington, June 23rd, 1851. 

 " On the evening of February 16th, 1S51, about half-past seven o'clock, a 

 beautifully shooting star descended vertically from the right-hand of Bootes, 

 about 15° above the horizon. It disappeared, after throwing off a violet-co- 

 loured veil, in a haze about 5° above the horizon : the appearance seemed 

 about five miles distant. 



" I remain, dear Sir, yours very truly, 

 " Rev. Professor Powell." " Tho. Rankin." 



No. 27. — Considering the great interest attaching to the announcement 

 made some years ago by M. Pettit, that one if not more meteors might be 

 actual satellites performing regular revolutions round the earth, it seems 

 surprising tliat so little should have been done by observers towards verify- 

 ing this discovery or extending it, especially as the opportunities of doing so 

 ought to be perpetually recurring. As possibly connected with this point, 

 Sir J. Lubbock has kindly communicated the annexed list of meteors ob- 

 served in past years, extracted from the Annual Registers. (See also Astron. 

 Soc. Notices, x. 94.) 



1758, 26th Nov. Edinburgh. 



1759, 4th April. Bombay. 



1762, llth June. Sydenham. 



1763, 15 th January. Reading. 



1763, 2nd September. Sweden. 



1764, 31st January. St. Neots. 



No. 28. — From a Letter to Prof. Powell from E. J. Lowe, Esq. 



Meteor seen at Kilkenny House, Bath, by Lieut. R. W. H. Hardy, R.N. 

 1851, June 20th, \l^ 30"". 



1764, 20th July. Philadelphia. 



1765, 3rd May. Rome. 

 1765, 9th August. Greenwich. 

 1765, 8th October. London. 

 1765, llth November. Frankfort. 



»jf JJeiphiuus 



No clouds visible. It moved horizontally. Apparent size = a large fire- 

 balloon at a distance of 600 yards. Rate of motion about thirty miles an hour. 

 1851. E 



