72 REPORT— 1872. 



and the position of its apparent path in the heavens were noted under the 

 most favourable conditions. 



The point of commencement of the meteor's course is found with consider- 

 able certainty, from the two foregoing observations, to have been situated at 

 a height of 44 miles above the sea, over a point in Pevensey Bay, about 6 

 miles from the Sussex coast. The real course of the meteor from this point 

 was, nearly, from due Avest to due east, with a very slight inclination to the 

 horizon ; or that direction of its real flight is most nearly accordant with the 

 observations. The point of disapi^earanee of the small spark which advanced 

 furthest along its flight was, hence, at a little lower elevation, of about 40 

 miles above the sea, close to the French coast, near Boulogne. Assuming 

 that the moon's apparent place at Ross was exactly upon the apparent course 

 of the meteor, which appears to be really signified b}'^ the remarkable obser- 

 vation that, as seen from that locality, the meteor appeared to issue from 

 close behind the moon, the agreement of this point with that of the meteor's 

 first appearance, as observed at Hawkhurst, in a gi-aphical point of view, is so 

 accurate and precise, that the real position of this point of the meteor's 

 course, as above determined, may be satisfactorily assumed, without any 

 material corrections, as being substantially correct. On the other hand, 

 admitting that, for the purpose of calculation, the description of the remaining 

 portion of the meteor's apparent course, as observed at Ross, is obviously 

 incomplete, the narrow limits between which (conformably to the rough notes 

 and sketches of its appearance there, and to the remaining portion of its 

 apparent track as mapped at Hawkhurst) the meteor can be supposed to have 

 moved, allows a very important conclusion to be drawn from a complete 

 examination of the remaining materials which were recorded concerning its 

 appai'ent course. If not exactly in the true west point of the horizon, the 

 apparent radiant-point from which the meteor was directed can yet not have 

 been far removed (not exceeding about 20°) southwards from this point, nor 

 at any great elevation (not exceeding about 30°) above the western horizon, 

 and it proceeded appai'cntly from the radiant Q^, near j3 Herculis, chiefly con- 

 spicuous in August ; so that the direction of its real course relatively to 

 the earth did not differ greatly (not more than 45) from that of the earth's 

 real motion in its orbit at the time when the meteor appeared, which was 

 nearly from the S.W. point of the horizon. The greatest length which can 

 be assigned to the meteor's real path is rather less than 42 miles, derived 

 from the supposition, as above assumed, that the meteor's real course was 

 almost horizontal and almost exactly directed from the west. But if the 

 meteor's real path was more inclined than this, it must also have been 

 shorter (and with the above extreme inclination, which it might be possible 

 to assign to it from the observations, its length would not exceed 33 miles*). 

 As the whole duration of the meteor's flight, observed at Hawkhurst, was 

 six seconds well counted while the meteor was in sight, the real velocity of 

 its motion cannot have much exceeded seven miles per second ; and under 

 certain possible assumptions of its apparent course at Ross, it may even have 

 been less than this, or the meteor may have travelled with a real speed of 

 only 5| miles per second. While the average real velocity of shooting-stars 



* By supposing the meteor, as seen at Eoss, after issuing from near the moon's jilace, 

 to have descended obliquely at an angle of 45° with the horizon, towards the left. The 

 drawings represent the meteor as slightly ascending, rather than descending ; and it is 

 described as advancing a considerable space, and producing a luminous train of some 

 length, after leaving the moon's side. This representation of the meteor's appnreiit 

 course at Eoss, when compared with the Ilawldiurst observation, agrees exactly with a 

 perfectly horizontal real course, directed from about 4^ south from west. 



