REPORTS 



ON 



THE STATE OF SCIENCE. 



Report on Observations of Luminous Meteors, 1860-61. By a Com- 

 mittee, consisting of James Glaisher, Esq., F.R.S., of the Royal 

 Observatory, Greenwich, Secretary to the British Meteorological 

 Society, S^c. ; J. H. Gladstone, Esq., Ph.D., F.R.S. ^c. ; R. P. 

 Greg, Esq., F.G.S. ^c. ; and E. J. Lowe, Esq., F.R.A.S., 

 M.B.M.S. 8(C. 



The Committee, in presenting this report upon the Luminous Meteors of 

 the past year, feel that the arrangement for collecting this information is far 

 from perfect, as for the most part the number of observers, Members of the 

 Association, who have sent observations are very few indeed. 



During the entire year 1 860 the number of meteors were few, and the sky 

 during the nights of both the August and November epochs was generally 

 overcast over the whole country, and scarcely any meteors were seen. 



In the August just passed, the sky for the most part was clear, and many 

 meteors were observed. 



It was stated in the Report for last year, that the remarkable meteor of 

 March 10, 1860, must have been seen by many persons, and it seems to have 

 been so, but no observations were taken by them of elevation, direction, &c. ; 

 and we are not in possession, even now, of sufficient information upon which 

 to base calculations. 



In the Catalogue of Meteors observed this year, of one alone have accounts 

 by three observers been received, that of July 16, 1861, as seen by the Duke of 

 Argyll, at Kensington ; Mr. Frost, at the Isle of Wight; and Mr. Howe, at 

 Greenwich : the three observers agree as to the place of its origin, viz. near 

 a Lyrae, but Mr. Howe says it moved towards the N.E., whilst Mr. Frost 

 says its motion was towards the S.W., just in opposite directions to each 

 other*. Another meteor, that of August 6, at 11.15, was seen by two ob- 

 servers ; the one at Manchester, the other near Macclesfield, but in neither 

 case are sufficient data recorded. 



The Committee regret that but one account of all the remaining meteors 

 in the catalogue has been received, and nothing can therefore be added to the 

 observations themselves. 



* This was also probably the one seen at Tunbridge Wells, at Darlington in Yorkshire, 

 and at Namur in Flanders, and of which an approximate orbit has been calculated by Mr. 

 Alexander S. Herschell. (See Appendix, No. 3.) 



1861. B 



