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Shooting Stars of August 9 and 10, 1840. 331 
first magnitude. Very many left trains behind them. The color 
of the majority was the usual phosphoric white, but frequently 
with a tinge of red. Of the whole number there was but one 
which seemed to explode. The larger meteors generally vanish- 
ed when at their brightest. The dimes of flight varied from about 
a tenth of a second to about two seconds; the majority being 
certainly not more, than three fourths of a second. In all these 
characters, the meteors of the seasons of abundance, appear not 
to differ materially from those of other periods of the year. 
5. Zodiacal Light. Soon after the moon had set, (2 A. M. 
10th,) I noticed a faint light lying along the northern horizon, 
chiefly on the east of the north point, and extending upwards 
about five degrees. By 3 o’clock, the familiar appearance of the 
Zodiacal Light was distinctly visible in the northeast. It was 
nearly as conspicuous as we commonly see it in October. The 
stars Castor and Pollux were near its brightest part, from which 
it stretched obliquely upwards in a triangular form about as faras 
Aldebaran, its base blending with the horizontal Jight lying along 
the horizon a little east of north. : 
Having had occasion since March, 1837, to observe the north- 
ern portion of the heavens every evening, in order to. ascertain 
the presence or absence of the Aurora Borealis, I was in the sum- 
mer months much perplexed with what appeared to be a faint 
Auroral illumination in the north and a little west of north. 
This light was on favorable occasions at that season, so constant, 
that I was at first inclined to conclude that there is in summer 
a continual Aurora Borealis: Aftera while, I was disposed to - 
believe that this appearance might be the Zodiacal Light. On 
the 16th of July, 1839, when, in company with Messrs. Bush 
and Haile, I watched until 2 A. M. and found that after midnight 
this faint luminous appearance: could not be discerned west of 
north, but was evidently visible on the eastern side, I could 
scarcely doubt that my last opinion was well founded. During 
the present summer I have, in company with others, seen this ap- 
pearance west of north as late as 10 P. M.; but, not having look- 
ed in the morning, had not noticed it after midnight until the 
morning of the 10th. 
Although it is not established what relation there is between 
the. Zodiacal Light and the periodical return of meteors, yet the 
connection between them traced by Professor Olmsted, seems to 
render it proper to make the preceding statement in this place, 
