216 REPORT— 1869. 



Report on Observations of Luminous Meteors, 1868-69. By a Committee, 

 consisting of James Glaisher, F.R.S., of the Royal Observatory , 

 Greenivich, President of the Royal Microscopical and Meteorolo- 

 gical Societies, Robert P. Greg^ F.G.S., F.R.A.S., E. W. Brayley^ 

 i^. /?.(?., Alexander S. He^scuel, F.R.A. S., and Charles Brooke^ 

 F.R.S., Secretary to the Meteorological Society. 



The Catalogue of the Tenth Eeport of this Committee contains the results of 

 assiduous observations of shooting-stars, directed principally to the periodical 

 dates when shower-meteors are usually expected to occur. Many observations 

 are, besides, recorded from the published accounts, and privately communi- 

 cated descriptions of observers on the large meteors which have appeared 

 with more than ordinary frequency during the interval of the year elapsed 

 since the presentation of the last Report. 



The general insufficiency of some of the observations, for the piirpose of 

 determining approximately the real distance of the meteors, is not greater 

 than must always be expected to arise, when a due allowance is made for 

 the unprepared condition of observers at the moment of the appearance of 

 such unusually large and brilliant meteors as have during the past year been 

 seen in some abundance. The comparison of some of the accounts contained 

 in the present list has, nevertheless, led to satisfactory conclusions re- 

 garding the real height and course of some of the sj^lendid fireballs recorded 

 in the paragraphs of this Report. Among those which principally appear to 

 have afforded elements of strict mathematical calculation may be mentioned 

 the observations made in France on the large fireball of the 5th of September, 

 and those at Cambridge and in Paris on the detonating meteor of the 31st of 

 May last. 



Some interesting communications on the same subject, bearing especially 

 on the extent, velocity, and direction of the currents observed to exist in the 

 loftiest regions of the atmosphere, are included with the heights of certain 

 persistent meteor-streaks determined by Professor Newton, in the United 

 States, on the 14th of November last. These observations, wdth the last- 

 mentioned descriptions of bright meteors seen at the same time in England 

 and on the Continent, are contained in the first Appendix of the Report. 



The occurrences of new aerolites and of other large meteors are described 

 in detail, and frequent minor notices of similar appearances from foreign 

 sources are placed in the second Appendix ; to which is added a Catalogi;e 

 of recent fireballs, completing up to the present time the very comprehensive 

 list of such appearances which, since their first Report, Mr. Greg has continued 

 with unfailing industry to collect for the Committee. 



The observations reported in the next Appendix show that the periodical 

 star-shower of August, in the past and present years, has been made the 

 subject of increasing attention in England and on the Continent. The sys- 

 tematic observation of the rate of frequency, time of maximum, and apparent 

 position of the radiant-point has not yet cleared up some of the perplexities 

 which surround the exhibition of this well-known but not yet thoroughly 

 explained phenomenon. The possible prevalence of several maxima, and an 

 apparent oscillation of the radiant-point in successive years between tolerably 

 wide limits in the constellations Perseus and Cassiopeia, are features of this 

 meteoric current which especially call for further investigation. The charac- 

 teristic appearances of the meteors, both as to magnitudes and to the abun- 



