A CATALOGUE OF OBSERVATIONS OP LUMINOUS METEORS. l*J 



Fie. l. 



ab, the apparent motion of the shooting-star, 

 a, tail at end of 5th second. 

 j3, tail at end of 12th second. 

 y, tail at end of J 80th second. 

 S, tail at end of 220th second. 

 A B, apparent motion of the tail nearly at right 

 angles to a b. 



Aug. 9. Representing, after another meteor, a 

 similar movement of tail as compared with 

 the meteor itself. 



fit I 



M. Schmidt states that credible cases, where the tails of meteors and shoot- 

 ing-stars remain visible longer than 5 seconds, are very rare and isolated. He 

 cites thirty-nine instances from his own catalogue, of which we select seven 

 instances of longest duration. 



1751. May 26. 3" 30 m Kraschina (Agram meteoric iron fall). 



1803. Oct. 10. l h On the high seas. 



1840. July 30. 15 m Vienna. 



1847. Jan. 10. 10 ia Vienna. 



1847. Nov. 10. 10'" Benares. 



1 853. Aug. 26. 10 m Mazzow. 



1856. Oct. 29. 30 m Laybach. 



Among the thirty-nine instances given by M. Schmidt, there were more 

 than one instance of the tail winding or doubling itself up, nay, of even 

 vanishing and then re-appearing. 



Duration of Meteors. 

 M. Schmidt also offers further remarks on the duration of meteors, and he 

 observes how rarely they are visible for more than 1 second; that 0' 2" to 

 1' 5" is the usual time of visibility; the practised observer knows that the 

 majority in fact of shooting-stars only shine during the fraction of a second. 

 In all probability the short moment during which the light shines is at the 

 same time the moment of its partial and final extinction. 



The time during which a shooting-star is visible is a subject for the art of 

 more refined observation, and M. Schmidt hopes that much attention will be 

 directed "towards determining the duration with regard to colours and any 

 anomalous motions of meteors." In his treatise on Meteors, p. 15, M. Schmidt 

 states how long the tails or luminous trains of meteors remain visible, with 

 regard to colour, viz. as follows : — 



sec. Mean error. 



VVith white meteors, the mean =1-00 in 24 observations. . .. 0-05 

 With yellow meteors, the mean =1 '51 in 18 observations. . . . 0-15 



With green meteors, the mean =1-96 in 12 observations 0-29 



1860. c 



