seen Kove77iler'l3, 1803. eS3 



stick, and the height of his eye from the level with the 

 bottom, and lastly the length of the stick, he will be able 

 to obtain its altitude pretty correctly ; and also, by obser%'nig 

 the direction the stick bears from him, will obtain at the 

 same time its azimuth. For this purpose the stick shou d 

 be chosen of such a length that he may be able to receae 

 from it to the distance of six or eight feet at least. Many 

 people, however, who niav have an opportunity of seeing 

 ineteors and putting the above method in practice, tor want 

 of mathematical information, may not be able to make the 

 neces.arv calculations ; but no loss will be sustained in tms 

 case, pr6vide such gentlemen would be carctal to take their 

 measures as correctly as possible, and publish an account of 

 them, with a skctch'of the method they made use ot, which 

 would enable others to draw such conclusions as might be 

 necessary for their purpose, or at least be ot great use to 



them. , I 1 ^„ 



The altitude and bearing at the time are the most neces- 

 <:arv to be known. The apparent diameter, time ot dura- 

 tion, and extent of the track through which the phenoine- 

 Tion move may, howevtr, be of great service ^^ hen they 

 can be obtained with any tolerable degree ot accuracy. But 

 here I must observe, that all estimations ot altitudes with- 

 out instruments or any means of measuring are too talla- 

 rious to be depended on, and can seldom or ever be ad- 

 niitted into computation. Let any one go out in the evcn- 

 ino", and endeavour to estimate the altitude ot a star, or 

 any other object, and he will soon find himself liable to an 

 error of tu enty or thirty degrees, generally estimating the 

 altitude too hich. This I particularly instanced in the ap- 

 pearance of the meteor I have here described j tor, betore 1 

 measured its altitude with a quadrant, I had estimated it 

 fifteen or twenty degrees higher than it was. In ascertain- 

 inff the apparent magnitude of meteors it has been, 1 be- 

 lieve, the most usual way to compare their appearance with 

 that of the moon ; and if the moon is visible at the time, 

 it will afford a pretty good object for that purpose ; but it 

 the moon should not be visible, it must be liable to a con- 

 siderable degree of uncertainty. . 



The apparent diameter of the meteor here mentioned 1 

 have supposed tp subtend an angle of not less than twenty 

 minutes of a degree, which, with the distance deouced trom 

 the interval between the appearance ot the meteor and lieai- 

 in<r the sound, gives its real diameter nearly £!80 yards, or 

 almost half a mile in circumference; and also, by com- 

 paring the extent of tr&ck through which it moved with thfe 



