188 
the earth’s motion through the stream. In the former 
direction (which is 30° or 32° nearer to a meridian than 
the direction of the sun’s apparent place) the exaggeration 
of the apparent meteor observations is about 2% times, and 
in the latter direction only about 1} times the original 
observations of the meteor-paths from perfect parallelism 
in their cometary orbits. Differences of velocity of the 
individual meteors from the average velocity of the 
stream, amounting to a tenth part of their mean speed, 
would on the other hand produce observations of 5°in the 
latter, without producing any sensible enlargement of the 
space included by the radiant region in the former direc- 
tion. Owing to the powerful action of disturbing forces in 
changing both the direction and the velocities of motion of 
themeteors of this stream, aconsiderableextension of the ra- 
diant region in each direction from the mean radiant centre, 
might be certainly anticipated for this meteor shower. 
The combined causes affecting the form of the radiant 
area, its principal concentration along a straight or 
crooked line, or elongated space, and its motion with the 
time, are accordingly so considerable and various, that the 
problem of arriving at a true theory of their action must 
evidently be regarded as still continuing to invite further 
attention and research. Among the determinations of 
the position of the radiant point with which I have, 
however, become acquainted since the compilation of the 
present list, Prof. Newton's observations on the radiant 
region, which appeared in NATURE, vol. vii. p. 122, will 
perhaps appear, from the following considerations, to point 
to a somewhat more definite conclusion. 
In the accompanying projection (Fig. 1) the apparent 
paths of the 94 meteors mapped at Newcastle-on-Tyne, 
York, and Birmingham are drawn on a plane-perspective 
chart of the heavens in their observed lengths and posi- 
tions. Both their general divergence from a common 
centre and the irregularities of their divergence in many 
cases in distant parts of the sky are plainly seen, while 
the shortness of the paths near the radiant point clearly 
' jllustrates the effect of perspective in foreshortening the 
apparent courses of those meteors whose visible paths 
were represented, as they appeared to the observers, to 
be approaching them “end on,” Some few of the fore- 
shortened meteors appeared quite stationary, and two of 
these are represented in the drawing by a small star. 
Nearly round the places of these two stationary meteors 
are drawn small circles representing the positions of the 
radiant point observed at York and Birmingham ; a third 
small circle shows the place of that observed at New- 
castle-on-Tyne. They are numbered respectively 17, Ir, 
and 1o in the list, and in the map of radiant points (Fig. 
2). A small circle below the equator and another near 
the east point of the plain sphere upon the ecliptic (Fig. 
1) represent respectively the anti-apex (or point /rom 
which the earth was moving), and the anti-solar point, or 
point opposite to the sun’s place at the time of the star- 
shower. The latter point, it will be seen, is more nearly 
in the direction of a parallel of declination through the 
radiant-point than in the direction of a meridian, and it 
is in the direction of right ascension, or nearly in that of 
the sun’s apparent place at the time of the shower, that a 
considerable elongation of the radiant region is described 
as having been most plainly perceived by Prof. Newton. 
In the map of the radiant-places (Fig. 2), lines drawn 
from the star y Andromedz (which is replaced in the 
figure by the positions of several radiant-points described 
close to it), through 8 and e Andromedz, downwards, and 
through the small star p Persei towards the left, point to- 
wards the anti-apex, and to the anti-solar point ; while a 
third line drawn from the same star nearly through v 
Persei and a Cassiopeiz is in a direction transverse to 
that from the anti-apex, Those radiant-points of which 
the star places or co-ordinates are exactly given are re- 
presented in the map by a cross; where only described 
by their neighbourhood to certain stars the cross is sur- 
NATURE 
| Fan. 9; 1873 
rounded by a circle, and ‘when simply described by the 
constellations their positions are represented by a circle 
only. ; 
me large number of radiant-points is contained in the 
space included between the stars y, 7, v, , and 51 Andro- 
medze (v Persei) clustering closely about a small star (not 
shown in the map) x Andromedz, near the centre of the 
space, of which the position is very nearly that deduced 
from calculation, as the probable radiant-point of the 
cometary shower. The direction of the outlying radiant- 
places is chiefly towards Cassiopeia, and shows with some 
distinctness a general confirmation of the conclusion ob- 
tained from direct observations of the shower by Prof. 
Newton, that the area of the radiant region was per- 
ceptibly elongated in right ascension, or approximately in 
the direction of the sun’s apparent place, That the effect 
of the sun’s attraction on a cometary cloud would be to 
produce an elongation of the radiant area in that direc- 
tion appears on‘astronomical grounds to be capable of 
demonstration ; and in their sensible agreement with this 
condition the results of the present observations lend 
satisfactory support to the astronomical theory of the 
meteor stream. Amore complete arfalysis of the features 
presented by the radiant area would probably require a 
careful investigation of the disturbances which the meteor 
cloud may have undergone during many previous revolu- 
tions of the comet; but from the present comparison of 
the observations with the astronomical theory of comets 
and of meteor showers, there appears at least to be 
abundant evidence in their generally accordant results to 
show that beyond the regular action of universal grayita- 
tion, no powerful force of repulsion from the sun, like that 
supposed to be concerned in the enormous development 
of the tails of comets, affects the meteor orbits or changes 
their courses more than the regularly recurring revolu- 
tions of the planets. In the projection (Fig. 3) the 
radiant-points only and the directions of the three lines 
drawn from y Andromedz towards the antisolar point S’, 
the anti-apex of the earth’s way E’, and towards a 
point T, at right angles to the latter direction, are re- 
presented for greater clearness without the fixed stars 
or constellations. 4 
In my last letter in NATURE, vol. vii. p. 103, on the time 
7 
of the maximum and the duration of the star-shower, and — 
on meteors connected with it seen on adjacent nights, 
the remarkably bright meteors from the same radiant- 
point observed by Mr. Jackson on the evening of Novem- 
ber 24, were noted by him near Hyde Park, and not near 
Regent’s Park, as stated in my letter. A considerable 
shower of shooting stars from a radiant-point near y An- 
dromedz was, it appears, distinctly observed on the same 
night in the United States, as described by Prof. Newton 
in NATURE, vol. vii. p. 122. The notes of the numbers of 
meteors seen after 10 o’clock, described in the last para- 
graph of my former letter were made by my assistants 
and myself at Newcastle-on-Tyne, and not at Rothbury, 
as would appear from their connection with the descrip- 
tion immediately preceding them, by my correspondent 
on the very brilliant appearance of the shower near the 
latter place. A, S. HERSCHEL 
NOTES 
WE believe that a reply has been received from the Goyern- 
ment on the subject of the Arctic Expedition, which goes far to 
justify all that was said in our leader last week on the subject ; 
for although the Government does not refuse absolutely to com- 
ply with the wishes of the deputation, all action will, unless 
strenuous efforts are made, be postponed fora year. We repeat 
that the deputation did not represent Science so broadly as it 
ought to have been represented; and we add, that if the 
Government thought so, it was, in our opinion, perfectly justified 
