138 



REPORT 1866. 



hourly number of the meteors is stated by Mr. Glaisher and Professor Challis 

 to have exceeded all before recorded at either of those two observatories. 

 JSIore than 2.50 meteors (279) were recorded at Greenwich, from shortly after 

 midnight until shortly after 5"^ a.m. 



Nearly a thousand meteors are computed to have been visible at Greenwich 

 during the hours from 1'' to 5'' a.m., appearing in greatest abundance diuing 

 the hoiir from 1'' to 2" a.m. Nearly two-thirds (172) left Imninous trains 

 visible for several seconds after the disappearance of the meteors. Their 

 unusual number, and the appearance of leaving luminous streaks, agree with 

 Olmsted's description of the famous meteors of the 13th of November 1833, 

 and leave no doubt that the meteors were a partial return of the meteoric 

 shower of that year. 



The number of meteors of the first class (16) recorded at Hawkhurst dming 

 the hour from midnight to 1 o'clock on the morning of the 14th, was nearly 

 equal to the number (17) recorded, imder equally favourable circumstances, 

 during the same hour on the morning of the 13th. 



The following are the hourly numbers of meteors observed at -the three 

 places during the progress of the shower : — 



The meteors here recorded, with the exception of six meteors observed at 

 Greenwich, were equal to stars of the 3rd magnitude or upwards. More 

 than half the total number of the meteors were equal to or brighter than 

 Ist-magnitudc stars. The number of observers was six at the Greenwich 

 Observatory, three at Cambridge, and one at Hawkhiu'st. The sky was for the 

 most part cloudless throughout the time, and the moon rose at about 4'' a.m. 



Amongst the list of shooting-stars seen at Hawkhurst, seventeen were 

 identical with meteors observed at Greenwich. Fifteen other meteoi's of the 

 list were identical with meteors seen at the Observatory at Cambridge. The 

 heights and velocities of ten of these accordant meteors were calculated 

 (Tables I., II.) ; and this is also the number of accordances calculated by 

 Drs. Hcis and Behrmann, of meteors observed on the same night between 

 Miiuster and Gottiugen. The average height of the middle of the apparent 

 paths differs httle, at both places, from sixty miles above the surface of the 

 earth. 



Tables I. and II. contain the apparent and computed paths observed at 

 Hawkhurst, Greenwich, and Cambridge. Table III. contains the paths of 

 10 meteors similarly observed by Dr. Heis and Dr. Behrmann, on the night 

 of the 13th of November, and computed by Dr. Behrmann (Astr. Nachr. 

 vol. Ixvi. p. 331-332). 



The average velocity of 11 meteors dii'ected from Leo is 55J English mUes 

 per second. The average velocity of 4 meteors directed from Taurus or 

 Perseus is nineteen miles per second. As the former radiant-region is hardly 



