A CATALOGUE OF OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 99 



No. VII. 



Observatory, Beeston, near Nottingham, Sept. 4, 1855. 

 My DEAR Sir, — The Rev. K. Swann, of Gedling near Nottingham, has 

 sent me an account of two meteors whose paths crossed each ^ Pcjaxis 

 other; they started from a point between Polaris and Ca- 

 pella, but only a third of the distance from Polaris. The v-/* 

 first was of the 1st magnitude and the second of the 2nd >/V 

 magnitude ; both moved rapidly, were colourless, and had no 

 trains of light. The paths were about 5° in length. Mr. 

 Swann sent the following sketch : — 



Believe me, my dear Sir, yours very truly, 



E. J. Lowe. * CageHa 



Observatory, Beeston, near Nottingham, Sept. 4, 1855. 

 My dear Sir, — Yesterday I posted for the British Association Report 

 on Meteors a list of those which have been noticed here during the past 

 twelve months. To that report I have to add a few remarks. 



In 1855 the meteors on the 9th and 10th of August were very numerous. 

 The evenings of the 10th and 11th were mostly cloudy, but many meteors 

 were noticed on the 12th. 



There were two large meteors observed on the 3rd, and it is worthy of 

 note, that, although the number of these bodies in the first week of August 

 are not nearlj' so numerous as they are a week later, still larger meteors are 

 seen about the 3rd of August than about the 10th ; this I have noticed in 

 other years. Of 118 meteors seen between the 9th and 13th of August 

 1855,* 



15 were of the 1st magnitude, 

 22 were of the 2nd magnitude, 

 30 were of the 3rd magnitude, 

 51 were of smaller magnitude. 

 In 42 examples of these meteors, 



17 were colourless, 

 17 were blue, 

 7 were red, 

 1 was yellow. 

 Nearly all the meteors had streaks, which lingered after the meteors had 

 themselves vanished. 



At a fair estimate I could not have seen more than a third of the meteors 

 that fell, consequently they were falling at the following rate per hour : — 

 August 9th from 10 to 11 p.m.=150, 

 10th from 12 to 1 a.m.=48, 

 10th from 10 to 11 p.m.=56, 

 1 2th from 10 to 12 p.m. 1 _ . „ 

 13th from 12 to 1 a.m. / ~*"» 

 an average between the 9th and 13th of 73 per hour, which would give for 

 the five days the extraordinary number of 8760. 



On producing the paths of their course backwards, several points of 

 divergence were well shown on the 9th, 10th, 12th and 13th. 



The one most apparent was ^° above and 2° N. of a Persei ; a second 

 well shown was 2° N. of the cluster of stars in the Sword-handle of Perseus ; 

 a third immediately under Cassiopeia ; and a fourth below % Cygni. 



A very large proportion of the meteors were at one portion of their path 

 within 10° of an imaginary line drawn from Cassiopeia to Cygnus. 



H 2 



