274 REPORT -18G9, 



infers that the direction relatively to the earth, or the ajiparcnt point of ra- 

 diation of this great meteor, Avas jirobably the radiant T, a general centre of 

 divergence of shooting-stars near a and y Pegasi during the months from 

 July to ISTovembcr. 



A collection of fourteen original accounts of the appearance of the great 

 daylight meteor of the 3rd of jVovember, 186S, was carefully examined by 

 Mr. Wood, to detennine as accurately as possible its real path. A radiant- 

 point, or general vanishing-point of the apparent paths prolonged hacl-wards, 

 near Arcturus, is pretty clearly indicated as the most probable direction from 

 which the meteor actually approached and entered the earth's atmosphere. 

 Assuming this direction as established, and the apparent points upon its path 

 observed by Mr. Wood at Birmingham as certainly very near approxima- 

 tions to the true positions of the meteor at its first and last appearance, the 

 comparison of the remaining observations with these fii'st assumptions re- 

 garding the computed path enables the latter to be at least provisionally 

 fixed with moderate precision. The point of first appearance of the meteor 

 was seventy miles over Cuckfield, in Sussex, and its point of disappearance 

 twenty-five miles over Heme Bay, in Kent. The whole course of about 

 eighty miles, performed in about three seconds of time, was directed from 

 the west-south-west, descending at an iucHnation of about 35° to the horizon. 



Should the real course of the meteor be assumed to be more nearly from 

 west to east, the apparent radiant-point would be nearer to e Yirginis than 

 to Arcturus ; and preserving the same place of first appearance, the point of 

 disappearance will be found to be at a height of about thirty miles over the 

 neighbourhood of Calais. 



Meteors of November 14:th, 1868. — From a large number of meteors ob- 

 served in the United States of America on the morning of the 14th of 

 November last, Prof. Newton has selected several instances of meteors of 

 conspicuous brightness, which were simultaneously observed by observers at 

 distant places. The results, accompanied by two excellently executed plates 

 of the persistent streaks, some of which presented peculiar features, are given 

 in the ' American Journal of Science' for May 18G9 (vol. xlvii. p. 399), and 

 lead to the supposition, from the observed motions of translation and distor- 

 tion of form of some of the streaks, that a northward current of the upper 

 air prevailed below an altitude of about fiftj^-four miles, and that above this 

 level, to a height of about sixty miles, a current of air existed moving 

 towards the south, succeeded, at a greater height, by another current moving 

 in a northerly direction. 



The double appearance of the streaks observed with the telescope in some 

 of the meteors of the shower suggests the conjecture, entertained by Prof. 

 Newton, of an actual duality in the meteor itself; and a very possible ana- 

 logy may th\;s evidently be recognized among the November shooting-stars 

 to the double or multiple character, which is a common feature among the 

 detonating and stone-producing meteors. 



1. Meteor and meteor-streak observed at Newhaven ttc. at Ih. 12m. A.ir. 

 New York time (see Catalogue). " The central point of the cloud may be 

 regarded as fifty-four miles high, over N. lat. 40° 43', and AV. long. 76°, and 

 its course S. 78° W., with an angle of depression of 20° upon the horizon of the 

 places beneath it. The heights of its eastern and western ends were fifty-nine 

 and forty-nine miles, or ninety-five and seventy-nine kilometres." In the 

 earlier part of its course the meteor " passed the meridian of Haverford at a 

 height of about sixty-eight miles, but may have been visible before it 

 j-eached that point. ... A note in hjs observation of the meteor at Pali- 



