A CATALOGUE OF OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 123 



maximum about this period. The radiant coincided, as in the previous year, 

 with a point between r and fl Geminorum, 



(4.) Star-showers of April, July, and August. 



The numbers of meteors recorded on the nights of the lst-2nd of January, 

 19th-20th of April, and lOth-llth of August, in the year 1865, were not 

 greater than ordinary. The return of these well-known star-showers was 

 either altogether wanting, especially in January, or very inconsiderable, as in 

 April and August. On the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th of August, a few 

 meteors were observed. Several large meteors appeared on the night of the 

 25th of April 1865. The same was also noticed by Sir John Herschel on the 

 25th of April 1843 (Proceedings, Brit. Met. Soc. Jan. 1865 ; p. 314). 



During a considerable shower of meteors on the 28th of July 1865, a 

 radiant of novel and interesting character was observed at Hawkhurst. The 

 new radiant was situated- close to Fomalhaut, and belongs properly to the 

 southern hemisphere. The letter H, omitted by Dr. Heis from his nomen- 

 clature of radiant-points, is chosen to designate the shower. 



Epoch of the shower; 1865, July 28-9. Position; R. A. 338°, S. Decl. 28°. 



The following extract from Sir James C. Ross's ' Voyage to the Southern 

 Seas ' (vol. i. p. 98), may be noticed in connexion with this shower. 



" H. M. S. Erebus, S. lat. 47°, E. long. 97°, 1840, July 28th to 29th. The 

 gale continued all night with a heavy cross sea ; there was much lightning 

 to the eastward ; meteors in great numbers were seen darting about in all 

 directions, and the whole aspect of the sky proclaimed a convulsion or dis- 

 turbance of the atmosphere of an unusual character." 



The position of Fomalhaut above the horizon, at the time and place of this 

 observation, on board the ' Erebus' was 17° from the zenith. Only one such 

 meteor was observed at Hawkhurst on the night of the 29th. 



v 



(5.) General Radiant-points of shooting-stars (Proceedings, Brit. Met. 

 Soc. 1865, Jan., vol. ii. p. 302). 



A list of fifty-six General Radiant-points of shooting-stars, which appeared 

 in the last Report, was founded upon a series of charts prepared by Mr. Greg. 

 The accompanying reduced engravings of meteor tracks contained in three of 

 these charts, illustrate four of the most interesting general radiant-points of 

 shooting-stars occurring in January, February, and March. (Pp. 124, 125.) 



The radiant A G l (fig. 1.), near Aldebaran (No. 3 in the list), embraces the 

 period from Dec. 21 to Eeb. 4. A remarkable display of it was first noticed 

 by Mr. Herschel, and by other observers, on the night of the 24th of December 

 1861. (Report 1862, pp. 40, 80.) 



M 3 (fig. 2) represents a radiant between Leo Minor and the head of Leo 

 (No. 7 in the list), enduring from February 4th to 26th, and having a tendency 

 to a maximum on the 13-1 5th of the month. It was first noticed by Mr. Greg, 

 Mr. Herschel, and Mr. Wood, in February 1863. 



In other showers no tendency to a maximum can be perceived. The 

 radiants M., M 6 are of this kind (Nos. 14, 15 in the list), and form a double 

 or twin radiant (fig. 3), advancing, with the time, across the principal stars of 

 Ursa Major, from March 3rd to 31st. The same radiant afterwards advances 

 as far as the last star in the Tail of Ursa Major, presenting an interesting and 

 well-established instance of the same meteoric shower enduring (from March 

 3rd to June 2nd) a period of thirteen weeks, and having a radiant advancing 

 throughout the interval in a right line. 



k2 



