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REPORT 1867. 



(5) 1867, June llth, 8'^ p.m., G.M. T. (France and Switzerland). 



Accounts of this meteor were collected by Professor Ed. Hagenbach-Bis- 

 choff at Basle, and by M. W. de Fonvielle at Paris. The following description 

 of its appearance, first ascending vertically and then slightly falling, at Basle 

 shows that a projection of its course prolonged, would pass nearly through 

 that town. 



" Basle, June 13th, 1867.— I stood with a telescope on the ' Bruderholz,' 

 near my house at Madorg, when the meteor made its appearance. As soon 



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Fireball of June lltli, 18G7 ; and appearance of ilie streak, as observed in the telescope, 

 at Basle, by H. Christ. 



as it appeared, directly over the middle of the forest, I pointed the telescope 

 to it and examined therewith the successive changes of the white, somitrans- 

 parent, faintly luminous cloud which it left for the space of about an hour. 



" Immediately after the disappearance of the nucleus (which rested like a 

 fixed star at the summit of its course for about half a second, fig. 1) there re- 

 mained at the spot a small globular cloud (fig. 2) which rapidly extended itself, 

 as if dissipated by an upward current of air, as in fig. 3. 



" It then took the form of a winding, riband-like, or irregularly spiral curve 

 (fig. 4), which it preserved for the space of about half an hour, and at last 

 gradually assumed the cirrus-forms shown in figs. 5 and 6, and disappeared 

 in the approaching darkness after nine o'clock. The accompanying figures 

 are exact and careful representations of its successive transformations. One 

 remarkable feature of the phenomenon was that the originally deposited 

 small globular cloud of vapour remained visible for a long time, as showai in 

 figs. 3 and 4, at the basis of the streak." (Eeport of H. Christ to Professor 

 E. Hagenbach-Bischoff.) 



Excellent bearings of the meteor taken in the neighboupdood of Basle en- 



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