A CATALOGUE Or OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 



3G1 



.ppearance; Train, if any, 

 and its Duration. 



Length of 

 Path. 



•regular globular mass, 

 rather elongated in 

 the direction of its 

 flight ; roughly di- 

 vided into at least 

 two, probably three, 

 parts, like a mass of 

 molten iron from a 

 ladle. At fir^t sur- 

 rounded by bright co- 

 ruscations; subsequently 

 by a pale ruddy lilac 

 glare, and tlien disap- 

 peared. 



rightest near the middle 10^ 

 of its path. No train or 

 sparks. 



rightest near the middle i 

 of its path. 



o train or sparks 



° or 3 



while m 

 sight. 



Direction ; noting also 



whether Horizontal, 



Perpendicular, or 



Inclined. 



Remarks. 



Directed from y Persei.. Fine moonlight night .. 



Directed from C Came- 

 lopardi. 



.Meteors two per hour ; 

 one observer. 



Observer. 



W. H. Wood. 

 Id. 



drawn from a Lyra" 

 to 7; Ursa; Majoris. 



Moved along a linejSeen apparently at the W. S. Gilman, 

 close of its flight. The jun.; N. Y 

 observer's attention Tribune, 

 called to it by a blue 

 flash of light. — Seen 

 also at N(Mv London, 

 Conn. Yellow, sur- 

 rounded by blue and 

 green light. Roughly 

 globular ; elongated 

 in the direction of its 

 fall. Altitude 45°. 



ather less bright at first, 

 vhen it was seen through 

 I slight \eil of cloud. 



Nearly perpendicular ; 

 downwards. 



Directed from P Camc- 

 lopardi. 



Vertically down 



Light slightly inter- 

 rupted at small in- 

 tervals. 



A. S. Herschel. 



Id. 



Id. 



Sky cloudy. The meteor 

 disappeared and re- 

 appeared behind the 

 clouds. 



H. Airy. 



■which, with the time and the other circumstances, were recorded by H. Wilberforce 

 Clai-ke, Esq., E.E., of Chatham. The direction of flight was estimated by con- 

 ceiving- the face of a watch to be projected on the heavens, its centre coincidino- 

 with the obsen-ed place of the meteor, and the hour XII pointing- towards the 

 zenith. The meteor's course was in the direction from the centre of "the watch to- 

 wards the recorded liour. Xo especial care was taken to place the axis of motion 

 of the meteoroscope in a vertical position, but I had previously adjusted the leng-ths 

 of the legs of the stand so that if it were placed on a horizontal plane the axis 

 would be very nearly vertical. From time to time altitude and azimuth observa- 

 tions were taken of stars, for the purpose of obtaining- data for calculating- the error 

 of position of the axis. The stand was placed on the flat roof of a small out- 

 building-, covered somewhat imeveuly with lead, and not being attached to the roof 

 and being of light weight, it was liable to be shaken and displaced. I have reason 

 to say that in consequence of accidental disturbance, it did not retain exactly the 

 same position during the whole of the observations. With regard to magnitude, 

 the iiieteors are divided into three classes caUed o, /3, and y. Those of class a were 

 a.s blight as stars of the first magnitude, and a few as bright as Venus when brightest. 

 The class /S were of the second or third magnitude ; and the class y were compara- 



