METEORIC STOKES AND SHOOTING STARS. 



We shall here state the principal circumstances accompanying 

 those of 1799, which put the notion of a lunar origin entirely 

 out of the question. 



12. On the morning of the 12th of November, 1799, before sun- 

 rise, Humboldt and Bonpland, then on the coast of Mexico, were 

 witnesses to a remarkable exhibition of shooting-stars and fire- 

 balls. They filled the part of the heavens extending from due 

 east to about 30 toward the north and south. They rose from 

 the horizon between the east and north-east points, described 

 arcs of unequal magnitude, and fell toward the south ; some of 

 them rose to the height of 40, all above 25 or 30. Many of 

 them appeared to explode, but the larger number disappeared 

 without emitting sparks ; some had a nucleus apparently equal 

 to Jupiter. This most remarkable spectacle was seen at the 

 same time in Cumana, on the borders of Brazil, in French 

 Guiana, in the channel of Bahama, on the continent of North 

 America, in Labrador, arid in Greenland; and even at Carlsruhe, 

 Halle, and other places in Germany, many shooting-stars were 

 seen on the same day. At Nain and HofFenthal in Labrador, 

 and at Neuernhut and Lichtenau in Greenland, the meteors seem 

 to have appeared the nearest to the earth. At Nain they fell 

 toward all points of the horizon, and some of them had a 

 diameter which the spectators estimated at half an ell. See 

 Humboldt's " Recueil des Voyages," &c., vol. ii. 



13. A not less stupendous exhibition took place in North 

 America on the night of the 12th of November, 1833. In 1834 

 similar phenomena occurred on the night of the 13th of November ; 

 but on this occasion the meteors were of a smaller size. In 1835, 

 1836, and 1838, shooting-stars were observed on the night of 

 November 13th, in different parts of the world, but though 

 diligently looked for on the same nights in 1839 and 1840, they 

 do not appear to have been more numerous than on other nights 

 about the same season of the year. 



14. The second great meteoric epoch is the 10th of August, first 

 pointed out by M. Quetelet, and although no displays similar to 

 those of the November period have been witnessed on this night, 

 there are more instances of the recurrence of the phenomena. 

 In 1838, 1839, 1840, shooting-stars were observed in great 

 numbers both on the 9th and 10th ; but they appear in general 

 to be unusually abundant during the first two weeks of August. 

 The other periods which have been remarked, are the, 18th of 

 October, the 23rd or 24th of April, the 6th and 7th of December, 

 the nights from the 15th to the 20th of June, and the 2nd of 

 January. 



15. Halley first suggested the idea that the shooting-stars 

 1*2 



