On the Meteors of 12th November, 1833. 149 



any meteor chanced to move directly in the line of vision it would 

 be seen as a luminous body, stationary for a few seconds at the cen- 

 ter of radiation. All these circumstances are in accordance with 

 the statements of various observers. Thus, Mr. Twining says, " in the 

 vicinity of that point [the center of apparent radiation] a few star- 

 like bodies were observed, possessing very little motion, and leaving 

 very little length of trace. Farther off, the motions were more rapid 

 and the traces longer ; and most rapid of all, and longest in their 

 trace, were those which originated but a few degrees above the ho- 

 rizon, and descended down to it." Professor Hitchcock observes, 

 11 that those nearest the point of radiation, had generally, a very slow 

 motion, slower than in other parts of the heavens, and the apparent 

 velocity as well as brilliancy, in some cases increased, as the meteor 

 receded from the radiant point. In other instances, after a slow 

 motion, over a very inconsiderable arc, they disappeared." (Amer. 

 Jour. xxv. 356.) The transient appearance of a luminous body, at 

 the center of radiation, is recognized in the account given in the Bos- 

 ton Christian Register, from which we have made an extract, on 

 page 139 ; and the fact noticed by Mr. Palmer, (Vol. xxv. p. 384.) 

 " that the circular space surrounding the center of radiation, from 

 which no meteors appeared to fall, was small at first, but gradually 

 enlarged its dimensions to the end of the observations, at which pe- 

 riod it was many times larger, than at first," — this fact is readily ex- 

 plained on the supposition that more meteors fell near the axis of 

 vision at first than afterwards. 



The westerly tendency, of the first variety of meteors, (See p. 

 394.) was probably owing to the earth's revolution on its axis, which 

 would give to bodies falling towards the earth, but not endued with 

 this motion, a relative motion westward. 



By altering the position of the axis of vision, with respect to the 

 horizon, in fig. 3. it will be seen that the meteors might, in certain 

 cases, have appeared to the spectator to rise while they actually de- 

 scended, a fact whieh was noticed by a few observers. Indeed from 

 the above figure itself, those between the axis of vision and the ze- 

 nith, appear to ascend. 



5. The Meteors entered the earth's atmosphere with a velocity 

 equal to about four miles per second. 



Regarding the meteors as bodies falling from a state of rest, with 

 respect to the earth, at the distance of 2238 miles from its surface, 

 we may estimate the velocity they would acquire in falling any dis- 



