METEORS. 



475 



upon the close of an interval, the counting in 

 concert was resumed. In the tables prepared 

 by Professor Newton are given, in separate 

 columns, the intervals of observation during 

 which the party were counting in concert ; the 

 lengths of those intervals ; the numbers actually 

 counted in the intervals ; the average number 

 of meteors per minute ; the number of obser- 

 vers; the total number per hour. In computing 

 the hourly numbers allowance was made for the 

 omitted intervals, by assuming, for the rate per 

 minute, the half sum of the rates of the periods 

 just preceding and following. In the four hours 

 and forty-two minutes of counting aloud the 

 number was 5,573. For the omitted intervals 

 (when the counting was silent) the rule adopt- 

 ed gave 1,786, making a total of 7,359 in the 

 six hours. Professor Newton says that the 

 short duration of the shower seems to imply 

 that the radiant is very narrow perpendicularly 

 to the ecliptic. Early in the morning hours it 

 seemed that this area must extend parallel to 

 the ecliptic nearly up to e Leonis. But its 

 length in that direction had then to be deter- 

 mined by flights that were nearly parallel to 

 the horizon. The eye cannot easily make al- 

 lowance for the curvature of the arc of a great 

 circle in carrying backward the line of such a 

 track. He felt sure that the tendency to make 

 such tracks parallel to the horizon is so strong 

 that, in a careful location of the radiant, nearly 

 all those must be rejected in which the meteor 

 first appears several degrees from the sickle. 

 Yet, after all allowances, he believes that some 

 paths in these early hours would, when traced 

 backward, pass near e Leonis. After the ra- 

 diant had reached an altitude of 30 or 40 de- 

 grees, there were very few tracks, if any, 

 which, traced back, would not cut across the 

 line joining y Leonis with the sixth magnitude 

 star (230 Piazzi, 3423 B. A. C.) in the centre 

 of the bend of the sickle, and between these 

 stars. But there were many tracks which, 

 when extended backward, cut this line at large 

 angles and near either extremity of it. This 

 implies that the radiant was not much shorter 

 than the distance between them. The latitude 

 of the radiant he estimated at about y Leonis, 

 or 8. To determine this latitude, only me- 

 teors starting from near the radiant and moving 

 parallel to the ecliptic were noticed. If the 

 radiant was a point, any two well-observed 

 flights would determine its place. But, in con- 

 sequence of its considerable length, any flights 

 nearly parallel to, or nearly perpendicular to, 

 the ecliptic are convenient for determining its 

 latitude and its limits in longitude. The pre- 

 vailing tint of the trains was green, or bluish- 

 green. Mr, Harger (in the New Haven obser- 

 vations) counted 60 unconformable meteors 

 during the six hours. These were strikingly 

 unlike the conformable ones, usually giving the 

 impression of a harder nucleus and leaving no 

 train. Many trains were visible for several 

 minutes, and one remained for forty-four min- 

 utes. They usually floated to the northward. 



Throughout the showers the proportion of 

 faint meteors was very small. 



At Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, Pro- 

 fessor E. G. Rockwood, Jr., conducted the 

 observations, assisted by Mr. J. P. Gross, and 

 a number of students. The formal counting 

 commenced at 51 minutes after midnight. 

 The whole number counted in 4 h 24 m was 5,670, 

 of which 121 were reported as not conformable 

 to the radiant of Leo. But as the observers 

 were all without previous experience in such 

 work, but little reliance can be placed on the 

 number of unconformable meteors recorded. 

 Almost all the brighter meteors left trains of 

 various lengths, and frequently several trains 

 would be visible upon the sky at one time. 

 These usually presented the appearance of clouds 

 of luminous smoke, which gradually changed 

 their form, and floated toward the north. 

 Many meteors were so brilliant as to cast a 

 light on surrounding objects, which was plainly 

 visible even when the meteor itself was hidden 

 from view by some intervening object. Many 

 were brighter than Venus, which was visible in 

 the east during the latter part of the watch. 



At Boston, Massachusetts,' Mr. T. W. Tuttle, 

 from a window looking north, counted 455 

 meteors in 2 h 2 m . 



Mr. R. Taber, at New Bedford, Massachu- 

 setts, reports that the flights were in general 

 unusually bright, leaving in many cases long 

 trails, which remained visible sometimes two, 

 and four, and in one instance eight minutes ; 

 gathering apparently in knots and waves, 

 with a seeming motion of their parts and 

 curving like a trail of smoke in a light wind. 

 One of these trails, examined by the telescope, 

 showed plainly a difference in the intensity of 

 its light, being much more luminous on the 

 knots, so to speak ; yet not enough to dim the 

 intensity of the third-magnitude star which 

 shone through it. 



Mr. E. A. Fuertes, at Stamford, Connecti- 

 cut, was occupied principally in locating the 

 tracks of the meteors upon the chart. He 

 estimates the number seen by him at more 

 than a thousand. The sky was magnificent, 

 the belts of Jupiter appearing with a brownish- 

 red color which he has only seen on remark- 

 ably fine nights with his glass, of six feet focus 

 and 44 inches aperture. He thinks that in the 

 earlier part of the evening the meteors were 

 green, and gradually changed to blue as the 

 night advanced. 



Miss Mitchell, at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., re- 

 ports from five observers 3,766 meteors. The 

 most remarkable hour was that from two to 

 three o'clock, in which 900 were counted. The 

 most fruitful minute was from 2 h 24 m to 2 h 25 ra . 

 The other hours from 12 h to 5| h were much 

 alike. Flashes of light, for which they could 

 not account by any meteor above the horizon, 

 were frequent, and Miss Mitchell was confident 

 that the evening of November 13th was lighter 

 than common for a moonless night without 

 aurora. 



