20 ■ REPORT— 1869. 



On the recent fall of an Aerolite at Kruhenhurg in the Palatinate. 

 By Dr. A. NEuirATER. 



On tlie 5tli of May last, at 6.32 p.m., tlie inhabitants of tliis village were startled 

 by a terrible noise like the discharge of heavy ordnance from some point high up 

 in the air, which at the time was perfectly clear. It lasted about two minutes, and 

 was followed with a rolling sound like thunder, which ended with a sort of whir- 

 ring, whistling sound. The people were greatly frightened, and nobody could 

 explain the cause ; they saw at length the trees moved by some miaccountable 

 agencj^, though not a breath of wind was stirring. Two men working in the fields 

 near the village, however, were not at a loss for an explanation, for they saw a 

 mass of stone fall to the ground, shaking it for a considerable distance. It was 

 found the stone liad penetrated the ground to a depth of two feet, which they soon 

 imearthed. It was still warm but not dangerous to touch. The walls of the hole 

 were perfectly perpendicular. The sound was heard over a district whose radius 

 was thirty miles. The meteorite (for such it was soon recognized to be) was care- 

 fully removed, and its weight ascertained to be 31^ lbs. Several pieces had been 

 knocked off. It was of a grey colour, small specks of a^metallic nature being every- 

 where visible, and likewise small discoloured particles of a globular form._ Subse- 

 quent analysis gave the specific gravity 3-446. It was composed of chrome-iron 0-94, 

 magnetic pyrites 5-72, silica 43-29, alumina 0-63, mag-nesia 2-01, protoxide of iron 

 21-06, soda 1-03. It is of the class of meteors termed chondrites. This fiery 

 rushing bod}', though broad daylight, was seen flying through the zenith of a place 

 thirty-five miles south-east of the locality where it fell. The author gave_ other 

 trigonometrical and astronomical particulars showing the height at which it was 

 seen. When passing through the atmosphere it showed a bluish light, leaving a 

 bright stripe of light long after the body had disappeared. AVhat made the fall of 

 this aerolite specially interesting is the fact that it was possible to determine the 

 radiant-point of the shower of meteors'to which it evidently belonged. The author 

 said the radiant-point of this system was described in the Tables of the British As- 

 sociation Committee on Luminous Meteors as being " well defined." He hoped 

 that some day " we should succeed in finding the comet whose orbit will exhibit 

 elements identical with that of the meteors, placing us in the proud position of being 

 able to state that we have already a portion of that comet in our possession." 



On the Appearance of the Nebula in Argo as seen in the Great Melbourne 

 Telescope. By tlie Rev. Di-. Robixson, F.li.S. 



Owing to various circumstances this instrument was not available for work till 

 20th June last, wlien jMr. Albert Lesueur, the astronomer to whom it is entrusted, 

 turned it on the nebula in Argo, and communicated to Dr. Robinson the results of 

 his observations, -vyith a pencil drawing laid down by comparison with adjacent 

 stars bj' means which, though not of the highest precision, are yet so exact that 

 future measures are not lilcely to make any material change. On comparing this 

 sketch with the admirable map of this nebula given by Sir J. Ilerschel (Cape Ob- 

 servations, p. ix.), it is evident that great changes have occurred in the last thirty- 

 four years. The most remarkable feature in the nebula is a black opening in the 

 brightest part of it, forming a kind of lemniscate. As Sir J. Herschel saw it, this 

 figm-e had two constrictions, was closed below by a barrier of less bright nebula, 

 and had two small stars exactly on its edges, f Argus, then larger then Sirius, 

 was south of the upper constriction and on a bright ground. Now the lemniscate 

 has only one cousti-iction ; its southern part is of a totally different shape, and there 

 is but a bare suspicion of any nebulous bar there, even -with the great light of this 

 telescope. The two stars referred to are now completely in the nebula and on the 

 parallel of the constriction. ( Argus, now only 65 mag., is on a faint ground and 

 remote from the bright nebula, and is nearlj- in the parallel of the north termina- 

 tion of the lenmiscate. These changes are not in the stars; for Mr. EUery has 

 found that down to 9^ mag. they are in verj' close accordance with Sir J. Herschel's 

 places ; there is also south preceding the top of the lemniscate, a V-like bay very 

 nearly as black, and vni\\ edges as bright, which could not possibly have been 



