A CATALOGUE OF OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 25 



Analysis of Table II. 



Aerolitic epochs 



common to meteor 



ejjoclis ? 



6— 10 February? 

 11—22 July. 



4 — 7 August. 



1 — 6 September. 



1— 5 October? 



9 — 13 November. 

 27—30 November. 

 11 — 15 December. 



Aerolitic epochs 



probably distinct 



from meteor epochs, j 



Times of fewest 

 aerolites. 



8 — 10 January. 

 14—22 March. 



5 April. 

 17—21 May. 



3 — 16 June. 



3— 8 July. 



Jan. 18— Feb. 6. 



April 20—25. 



April 29— May 7. 

 August ...21—31. 

 September 17 — 30. 

 Dec. 1(3— Jan. 7. 



Times of fewest 

 bolides. 



February ...24—31. 



April 19—20. 



June 3 — 8. 



June 24—30. 



July 1—10. 



September 12—19. 



Observations on the preceding Tables, fyc. 



1. While the number of bolides is considerably larger for December and 

 January than for June and July, the number of aerolitic falls is about as 

 large again for the latter as for the former period ; the earth in her orbit 

 in the first case being at her perihelion, in the latter at her aphelion. 



2. The distribution of the larger class of meteors is not so unequal 

 throughout the year, if we make allowance for the immense number usually 

 periodically observed ill August and November, when meteors as large in 

 apparent size as Jupiter, or even Venus, are not uncommon. March, May, 

 June, and July furnish out of the total number generally observed of meteors 

 of all sizes, the largest proportion of bolides, and especially of aerolites. 



3. There is a remarkable equality in the numbers of aerolitic falls for the 

 first half of the year as compared with the second half, viz. 103 and 101 re- 

 spectively. There does not appear to be any very remarkable preponderance 

 in this class of meteoric phenomena during the periodic epochs for shooting- 

 stars, i.e. about the 9th of August and 10th of November. In the analysis of 

 Table II. these epochs are more fully pointed out. There appear to be 

 aerolitic epochs entirely distinct in themselves ; and it is worthy of remark 

 that these epochs are apparently most distinctly marked, with regard to shoot- 

 ing-stars and boiides only, during the first six months of the year ; whilst all 

 the epochs possibly common to both classes are seen to occur in the second 

 six months of the year, with the single exception of one in February. 



4. Analyses of several catalogues are concisely given in Table I. for the 

 purpose of convenient comparison. They vary more or less from each other, 

 though not very materially; necessarily in constructing such catalogues, 

 some latitude and difference of opinion may exist respecting what constitutes 

 a proper bolide; and recorded observations may not always be very definite. 

 If meteors of the size of Venus or Jupiter were included without discrimina- 

 tion, the list of fireballs for August and November might be swelled out in- 

 definitely ; e. g. hundreds of meteors of that size were seen on one night 

 alone, November 13, 1833, in America. The practice of late years of look- 

 ing out more particularly for shooting- stars at the usual August and Novem- 

 ber periods, probably tends to increase disproportionately in all catalogues 

 of bolides, the number of observations for those two months, though the 

 November period appears for the present to have become very much less 

 remarkable for meteoric displays than formerly. 



In constructing his own catalogue, Mr. Greg has endeavoured merely to 

 insert such observations as might with most certainty be assumed to be 

 remarkable for size and brilliancy. 



