442 



METEORIC STONES AND SHOOTING STARS. 



currence of the phenomena. In the last three years (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 Octo- 

 ber, the 23d or 24th of April, the 6th and 7th of December, the nights from 

 the loth to the 20th of June, and the 2d of January. 



Halley first suggested the idea that the shooting stars may be observed as 

 signals for determining differences of latitude by simultaneous observations, 

 and Maskelyiie in 1783 published a paper on the subject, in which he c;tlls 

 the attention of astronomers to the phenomena, and distinctly points out this 

 application. The idea was revived by Benzenberg in 1802, but so long as 

 they were regarded merely as casual phenomena, it could scarcely be hoped 

 that they would be of much use in this respect to practical astronomy. As 

 soon, however, as their periodicity became probable, the phenomena acquired 

 a new interest, and some recent attempts to determine longitudes in this man- 

 ner have proved that the method is not to be disregarded. 



The probability of the conjecture that the causes of the meteoric phenomena 

 observed in the months of August and November is to be found in the fact that 

 tfie particular regions of the solar system through which the earth passes at 

 these seasons, are the seats of an unusual quantity of the matter composing 

 these meteors, must in a great degree depend on the extent to which it can be 

 proved by observation that such meteors do really prevail at each of those 

 periods of the year. 



With a view of testing this, I have collected together, from various sources, 

 the dates of the most remarkable atmospheric appearances of this class from 

 the eighth century to the present time. In the following table, the day of the 

 month when it has been recorded, is placed in the column under the month, 

 and in the line with the year of the occurrence. Where an asterisk occurs 

 under the month, the particular night has not been recorded, but the appear- 

 ance has merely been mentioned as having occurred. 



