40 



REPORT 1861. 



C. May it not be presumed that the majority of meteors seen at night must 

 be coming towards the sun, their average distance from us while visible 

 being not more than 50 or 100 miles : while the earth, being 7000 miles in 

 diam^eter, would consequently intervene as a shield in keeping out of sight 

 the majority of meteors coming directly from the sun, and whose paths we 

 come across ? If two meteoric stones struciv opposite sides of the earth at the 

 same moment, 12 m., we might almost presume one was going to, and one 

 from, the sun. It would certainly be interesting to know whether the ma- 

 jority of meteors are going to or from the sun, or passing the earth's path 

 at right angles, obliquely or parallel. 



D, It is quite possible that two shooting-stars, m and m' (fig. 8) might each 



Fi". '5. 



tn t 



appear to project on the sky apparently a similar and common track Z' Z", 

 though in reality moving nearly at right angles to each other's direction, the 

 only difference being a shorter or longer visible path. The angle might even 

 in some cases perhaps be more than 90°, and the two meteors coming 

 obliquely and from opposite directions ; yet an observer at o would be unable 

 to tell in which direction the meteor moved ; in either case it would seem to 

 pass downwards in the ordinary way. This helps to show the difficulties in 

 these cases, and to negative results in catalogued descriptions giving the 

 directions meteors have appeared to move. 



E. Why is it that meteors are so seldom seen near the horizon even on a 

 clear night ? Is it because of the atmosphere, or that they would necessarily 

 in that position be too far off? If they do not come nearer the earth's sur- 

 face than 40 miles without being consumed or extinguished (fig. 4), we should 



Fig. 4. 



z,^ 



ISO. TniJes 



^rtH^P 



W^- 



:S!tsrHi.i sur'Jace. 



more frequently see them at Z', only 40 miles oflF, than at Z, 150 miles distant ; 



