153 
this area faded slowly and disappeared. It was the only stationary meteor 
that we observed. 
Many meteors were observed that appeared outside the region covered 
by the map. These are not included in the foregoing table. For example: 
I watched the region surrounding Orion (not in the map) from 1:45 to 2:00 
a. m., November 15. Fifteen bright Leonids were observed. 
The meteors were rarely as bright as the first magnitude stars. The 
longest trail that we saw was about 110° long, but the average length was 
not more than 20°. The accompanying figure is that of a normal Leonid 
as I saw them. 
The head of the brightest meteors seemed globular, and to be slightly 
separated from the tail as if it were surrounded by an envelope of non- 
luminous gas. The globular appearance was doubtless due to irradiation. 
The color of the head was generally yellowish red, a little more yellow 
than Mars, suggestive of a heated iron passing from a white-hot to a 
red-hot temperature. The tail or train was blue or green. The brighter 
the tail the greener it appeared. It seemed to me, also, that the brighter 
trains had a bright, narrow, perfectly straight streak or spine, exactly 
in the middle of the tail, and in the path described by the head. That 
whatever cause produced the tail was more intense in the broad part, is 
shown by the fact that the broad part faded out last, and in case of a very 
bright meteor some seconds after the head had disappeared. 
Our second object was to obtain a permanent record of the paths de- 
scribed by the meteors, and to determine the radiant. To this end we 
platted the paths on the maps as the meteors fell. In all about 225 paths 
were platted on four different maps. The paths were then produced. 
Many of them intersected in a comparatively small area. The average 
of four determinations for the radiant gave Right ascension=9h, 45m; 
Declination=21°, 40m. 
The number of Leonids that fell during the last shower was not so 
large as anticipated. This augurs well for a large shower November 
13-16, 1899. The observations also show that the stream is wider than 
formerly supposed. 
