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NATURE 
[JANUARY 28, 1904 
FIREBALLS IN JANUARY. 
PART from the rich shower directed from the region 
of Bode’s asterism Quadrans, or northern limits of 
Bootes, on the opening nights of January, the meteors visible 
in this month have usually attracted little attention. 
Observers who have watched the cold winter sky have, in- 
deed, generally remarked a scarcity of meteors amongst the 
beautiful constellations displayed at this season of the year. 
Zezioli, it is true, was more successful in the clear atmo- 
sphere of Italy, for on the closing nights of January, 1868, 
he saw a plentiful swarm of shooting stars falling from 
Corona and Ursa Major, and one or two other observers 
have occasionally recorded meteoric activity of somewhat 
special character, but, with the exception of its New 
Year’s shower, the month commonly furnishes us 
neither with any plentiful displays nor with an abundance 
of meteors giving evidence of a multitude of attenuated 
streams. 
But in recent years January has certainly shown itself 
rather noteworthy on account of the brilliant fireballs which 
have appeared. This month in 1901, 1903 and 1904 proved 
rich in these startling visitors. About ten were seen in 
rgot, five were well observed and their real paths computed 
in 1903, and seven appeared between January 8-22, 1904. 
We must also remember the great fireballs of 1894 
January 25, 1898 January 21, and the pair which 
were quite conspicuous in bright sunshine on the early 
afternoons of 1900 January g and 1901 January 6 re- 
spectively. 
A comparison of the various dates shows that the appari- 
tions have marked two periods of the month, viz. 
January 6 to 15, and 
January 23 to 29. 
In future years it will be desirable to watch for fireballs at 
these special epochs. No particular shower appears to have 
been responsible for their production in past years. The 
radiant points seem to have been widely separated, and prove 
that our brilliant January meteors have little if any com- 
munity of origin, but may rather be regarded as isolated 
cosmic rovers. If they individually represent meteoric 
showers, such showers must form the relicts of rich, old- 
time systems now thinned out beyond visible recognition by 
frequent rencontres with the planets. 
It is characteristic of many vividly luminous fireballs that 
they have very slow, long and nearly horizontal flights. 
Their average heights are about 67 miles at first, and they 
disappear either at about 46 or 29 miles. Their radiant- 
points are usually not far from the horizon, and placed in 
unusual westerly positions where no ordinary radiants of 
shooting stars are ever detected. In 1903 very brilliant 
meteors were seen on January 10, 13, 14, 25 and 28, and in 
1904 on January 8, 9, 10, 13, 15, 18 and 22. The one alluded 
to in Narure for January 14 as seen by Mr. W. E. Rolston at 
Fulham on January 9, 8h. 27m., was also observed by Mr. 
G. F. Oldham at Tunbridge Wells, moving from 110° + 36° 
to 128°+37° in four seconds. The real height of the object 
during its luminous career was from 60 to 41 miles over 
the east coast of Kent (Folkestone to Ramsgate), radiant 
point at 41°+5°, and velocity certainly not more, and very 
probably less, than 6 miles per second. There was another 
fireball on the following night, Sunday, January 10, at 
8h. 32m., observed at Oxford and Llanelly. It descended 
from a radiant in the east region of Aries over Monmouth- 
shire from a height of 67 to 31 miles. Yet another fire- 
ball was recorded on January 15 at Bridgwater and 
Banbury. It fell from a height of 63 to 27 miles from a 
radiant near the zenith in the region bordering Perseus and 
Auriga. 
It is fortunate to have secured duplicate observations of 
these fine objects, and more of them may be expected to 
appear before the close of the month. : 
In February fireballs have often been seen on the 3rd, 7th 
and roth. These dates will nearly correspond with February 
5. 9 and 12 in 1904. There is also a pretty rich shower of 
meteors from near Capella sometimes observed between 
February 7 and 23. 
W. F. DENNING. 
NO. 1787, VOL. 69] 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE. 
Pror. Epuarp Stupy, of Greifswald, has been appointed 
to the chair of mathematics at Bonn in succession to the 
late Prof. Lipschitz. 
On Thursday, February 11, Prof. Armstrong will give 
an address at the Battersea Polytechnic on ‘‘ The Placing 
of ‘ Domestics’ on a Scientific Practical Basis.’ 
CornELL University will, says Science, receive more than 
40,oool. from the estate of the late Mr. F. W. Guiteau, 
of Irvington-on-the-Hudson, which is nearly 10,o00l. more 
than was announced at the time of Mr. Guiteau’s death last 
year. The money will be used as a fund for the assistance 
of needy students, and will be lent them without interest. 
Dr. GrorG SCHROETER has been appointed professor of 
organic chemistry in the University of Bonn; Mr. F. 
Kreutzberg, of Dusseldorf, has been appointed professor 
of applied mathematics at the new Academy of Posen; Dr. 
Leo Marchlewski, professor of chemistry at Cracow ; 
Mr. L. Farny, professor in the Ztrich Polytechnic; Dr. 
W. Kotz, professor of chemistry at Gottingen; and Dr. 
Erich Miller, professor in the chemical department of the 
Dresden High School. 
A prTiITIoNn, which it is intended to present to the central 
educational authorities of the United Kingdom, is being 
circulated for signature among the registered medical men 
of the British Isles. The petition directs attention to the 
serious physical and moral conditions of degeneracy and 
disease resulting from the neglect and infraction of the 
elementary laws of hygiene, and urges the central authori- 
ties for education to consider whether it would not be 
possible to include in primary and secondary schools such 
teaching as may lead all children duly to appreciate healthful 
bodily conditions. The petition then reviews the steps taken 
in this direction by English-speaking nations, and shows. 
that great prominence is given in many British colonies to 
instruction in the laws of health, and concludes by urging” 
the necessity of ensuring that the training of all teachers. 
shall include adequate instruction in these subjects. 
At the annual meeting of the Mathematical Association 
held on January 23, Prof. A. R. Forsyth, the president, who. 
occupied the chair, in referring to the report of the Com- 
mittee on the Teaching of Elementary Mathematics, said 
that in the various stages of the consideration of changes. 
in the regulations at Cambridge University the report of 
the association proved to be of substantial value. The most 
interesting event outside the association was the produc- 
tion of the report of the syndicate at Cambridge and the 
discussion of that report. Some slight modifications were 
introduced into it, and then it was adopted by the University 
of Cambridge without a single dissentient. Therefore there 
had come a change not indeed in teaching, but in the con— 
ditions under which teaching could be carried on. If the 
first working of the regulations was carried out in the spirit 
in which they were proposed, if the teachers would take the 
advantage that was offered by the greater ease of the regula- 
tions, he thought a substantial improvement would come 
in the mathematical teaching of the country. Mr. E. M. 
Langley exhibited models of regular and semi-regular soli 
including the four polyédres étoiles of Poinsot. Mr. C. $ 
Jackson read an account of a recent discussion on the possi- 
bility of fusion of the teaching of mathematics and science. 
Mr. J. C. Palmer dealt with a geometrical note, and Mr. 
C. A. Rumsey read a paper on advanced school courses of 
mathematics. 
In the course of an address at the Mansion House on 
Monday, at the distribution of prizes to the successful 
students of the City and Guilds Institute, Sir William 
White remarked that as regards higher technical educa- 
tion we were as a nation in a critical condition. 
What was wanted was coordination of educational’ 
agencies on a carefully considered plan. There must be 
conference between teachers and the representatives of the 
professions, businesses, and manufactures if the best results 
were to be obtained. He was extremely hopeful of the 
results which would follow the work of an advisory com- 
mittee at the Institution of Civil Engineers containing re- 
