286 



REPORT 1869. 



The path of one meteor, observed at Moncalieri on the evening of the 9th, 

 at 10'' 5"", was cuvilinear (tortuosa), and the light of another, at lO*" 12" 

 (Turin time), was intermittent. Bolides of considerable brightness were 

 observed on the 7th at 9" 15"° p.m., on the 9th at 9" 35™ p.m., and a third 

 on the evening of the 10th at 10'' 49™ p.m. The first, brighter than Yenus, 

 of a reddish colour, made its appearance at an altitude of 40° above the S.E. 

 horizon, between a and d Lyr<e, and descended vertically with very slow 

 speed to rj Serpentis, near the same point of the horizon ; it left behind it a 

 most brilliant- white, persistent streak. The last of the three bolides was so 

 bright as to illumine the clouds near which it passed. 



At Bra, in Piedmont, two meteors were observed, with curved paths, on 

 the morning of the 10th, at 12" 20™ and 12'' 30™ a.m. On the same morning, 

 at 12'' 53™, local time, a bolide, more brilliant than Jupiter, of bright white- 

 ness, was seen at the Observatory of the College at Home, moving from the 

 south towards the east. Madame Scarpellini, at Rome, saw a similar meteor 

 on the evening of the 10th, at 10'' 50™ p.m., which was also seen by Prof. 

 Piuclli at Civita Yecchia. The latter observed another bolide of equal bright- 

 ness at Civita Vecchia on the morning of the 11th, at 1'' 53™ a.m. 



At Palermo very brilliant bolides were obseiwed by Prof. Tachini on the 

 nights of the 5th and Oth of August, 18G8 (Bulletino Meteorologico del E. 

 Osservatorio di Palermo, vol. iv. Nos. 8 & 9). 



At the Meteoric Observatory of the Luxembourg M. Chapelas-Coulvier- 

 Gravier noticed the greatest frequency of meteors (1-3 per minute) on the 

 morning of the lOth, between midnight and 1'' a.m. The number of meteors 

 recorded during tlie night of the 10-1 1th was 237, of which 113 were of 

 the 3rd magnitude, or brighter, and 49 left persistent streaks. A bolide 

 presenting very remarkable features was observed at 11'' 27™ p.m. on the 

 night of the 10th. The meteor was " conformable to the general direction 

 of the meteoric cuiTcnt," and moved slowly, as if resisted in its course, so 

 that, instead of the usual spherical form, it appeared internally agitated, and 

 assumed the form of a cone, with base foremost, from which the material of 

 the meteor fell off in red sparks along the dazzlingly bright lumiuovis 

 streak. (Comptes Eendus, vol. Isvii. p. 498.) 



Prof. Tachini, of the Royal Observatory of Palermo, in the ' BuUetino 

 Meteorologico' of that Institution for August and September 1868, gives a 

 very fuU account of the meteor observations made at that observatory on the 

 evenings of the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th of August, 1868. The number of 

 meteors seen by four observers in three hours (after 10 p.m.), on the evenings 

 of the 8th, 9th, and 10th August, were respectively 44, 101, 195; in two 



and in one hour and 



This would 



give a relative frequency of 



14-7, 27-3, 52-7, 39-7, 13-3, 



and would probably indicate a maximum I'requcncj^ on the morning of the 



hours ten minutes on the 11th August 115 meteors 



eight minutes on the evening of the 12th August 24 meteors. 



