OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 41 



leaving streaks directed from Leo, appeared almost together. In the next 

 half-hour two meteors, directed apparentlj'' from Cor Caroli, appeared to be 

 unconformable to the Leo radiant. The remaining unconformable meteors 

 aU proceeded from the direction of a radiant-point in Taurus. At 5'' 15™ a.m. 

 the sky became completely overcast ; but a shooting-star from the direction 

 of Leo, of first magnitude, was observed by Mr. E,. Maclure, at 6'' 20™ a.m., 

 through an opening of the clouds. On the morning of the 15th the sky at 

 Glasgow was again completely overcast. 



On the evening of the 13th a bright meteor (described in the above List) 

 was seen at the Eoyal Observatory, Greenwich, and three vivid flashes of 

 light, between 12"^ 15™ and 12'' 30™ a.m., on the 14th, which must have pro- 

 ceeded from large meteors, at an altitude of about 20°, due S. were seen 

 through the clouds, which from this time overspread the sky during the 

 remainder of the night. On the morning of the 15th a clear sky enabled 

 Mr. Glaisher's staff of observers to make continuous observations of the 

 meteors visible in the bright moonlight, from midnight until 5'' 33™ a.m., 

 when the sky was again quite obscured bj" clouds. Fifty-three meteors were 

 recorded, in this interval by the five observers, the apparent paths of forty- 

 five of which were traced upon a map. Of the meteors so recorded, twenty- 

 eight proceeded from the usual radiant-point in Leo, eight from a radiant- 

 point situated apparently not far from Cor Caroli, seven from a radiaut-point 

 between Taurus and Musca, and two meteors from uncertain radiant-points. 



The following were the numbers of the meteors observed in the successive 

 half-hours ending at 



hm hhm h hm h hm h hm h hm 

 1870, November 15th, A.M. ... 1230 i 130 a 230 3 3 30 4 4 30 5 530 Total 

 Number of meteors seen 2 232217687 13 53 



A very beautiful meteor of bluish-white colour, and of the apparent size and 

 brightness of Jupiter, proceeding apparently from the direction of the radiant- 

 point in Musca, descended towards the east, at 4'' 45™ 25* a.m., through an 

 arc of more than 25°, in about three seconds, leaving a streak of light upon 

 its course. Most of the conformable meteors left a persistent train, but none 

 of those observed rivalled this fine meteor in brightness or in length of 

 course. The proportion of apparent magnitudes of the remaining meteors, 

 seen during the watch is shown in the following list : — 



Brighter tban first-magnitude stars ; =i8tdo. ; =2nd do. ; = 3rd do. Total 

 Number of meteors seen 6 24 17 5 52 



From these descriptions of the meteor-shower it appears that, on both the 

 mornings of the 14th and 15th of November, the number of the conformable 

 meteors considerably exceeded that of the unconformable meteors which 

 appeared duiing the hours of the continued watch ; but that the scale of the 

 shower, as it was observed iu England, was very far inferior to the brightness 

 with which it was recorded in the preceding year. 



At Tooting, near London, Mr. H. W. Jackson observed on the mornings of 

 the 14th, 15th, and 16th of November, and noted one shooting-star on the 

 night of the 13th, but failed, on account of haze and clouds, followed by rain 

 during the morning of the 14th, in securing another observation. Between 

 midnight and 1^ 55™ a.m., on the morning of the 1.5th, eight meteors were 

 carefully observed and mapped, and four or five smaller meteors were seen, 

 all but two of which (of short course, near the radiant-point in Taurus) were 

 conformable to the Leo radiant-point. Of these, the brightest, at l** 5™ a.m., 

 which left a long streak, was simultaneously observed at Greenwich. Of the 

 two unconformable meteors, that which appeared at 12'' 7™ a.m. was white 



