OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEOIIS. 11 



in his note of its appearance communicated to ' Nature ' of the 14tli of March 

 last by Lord llossc : — 



"Observed an intensely brilliant meteor. It was first seen in the region 

 of Lepus, whence it moved with a slow and steady motion across the heavens 

 to the S.E. horizon, where it gradually disappeared in a bank of cloud at 

 about 9'' 5"' 19^ Greenwich mean time, having occupied 7 or 8 seconds in 

 moving over 50° of a great circle. The time given may be a few seconds 

 wrong, as it was noted by an ordinary watch. The head was intensely bril- 

 liant, of a bluish-white colour, and lighted up the whole sk}'. 



" Its brightness was maintained during its entire visibility, and may have 

 been as great as the moon at quadrature. Apparent diameter of the head 42'. 

 It was followed by a very narrow tail about 3° in length, and of a reddish 

 hue. It did not leave any phosphorescent train behind it ; but at the latter 

 part of its course it threw out some reddish luminous masses that gradually 

 faded away. Its apparent course was in a great circle through /3 Cauis Ma- 

 joris to a point near the S.E. horizon in azimuth S. 28|°E., and altitude Sg". 

 For /3 Canis Majoris the azimuth was S. 20° 52'-4 W., and altitude 16° 43'-3. 

 —Observatory, Birr Castle, March 8th, 1872." 



It is to be regretted that a meteor of such unusual splendour and magni- 

 tude, which must (if clouds permitted) have been widely visible over the 

 south of Ireland, and .in the west and soiith-west parts of England, has not 

 received any public or private notice which has hitherto come to the know- 

 ledge of the Committee, nor any apparent recognition from observers ; while, 

 if the important astronomical interest chat attaches to its appearance is rightly 

 understood, the great advantage of their investigation, if such have been pre- 

 served, it may yet be hoped, will prevail upon observers to communicate them 

 to the Committee. 



1872, April 12, 4'' 36" p.m. — A fireball, not less brilliant, but, on account 

 of its appearing in the daytime, probably less conspicuous than the preceding 

 meteor, was seen on the afternoon of the above day by Mr. "Whipple, at the 

 Kew Observatory, by whom the following observations of its appearance were 

 recorded* : — 



" Yesterday afternoon, whilst standing on the lawn of the observatory, with 

 mj^back to the sun, which was brightly shining, I saw a splendid meteor fall 

 in the south-east. The sky at the time was of an intense blue, and cloudless, 

 with the exception of a few cirri in the north and north-west, and the meteor, 

 as seen against it, presented the appearance of polished silver. The flight of 

 the meteor was almost vertical, at an altitude of about 30°; its extent was 

 about 1 0°, and the tail, which seemed to hang in the air and fade away like 

 the tail of a rocket, was, at the instant of exi^losion, probably 3° in length. 

 There was no report accompanying its disruption, or it would certainly have 

 been heard, the neighbourhood being very still at the time. Immediately on 

 its disappearance I looked at my watch ; it was ^ 36" p.m., Greenwich mean 

 time. Had the fall occurred after dai'k, I have no doubt but that the meteor 

 "would have exhibited a magnificent spectacle ; for its brilliancy far exceeded 

 that of the moon as seen by daylight." 



1871, December 6th, ^^ 14" p.m., or 8'> 15" p.m. — A meteor of great bril- 

 liancy was recorded at the former hour at Birmingham by Mr. Wood, and at 

 the latter hour at Beeston Observatory, near Nottingham, by Mr. Lowe. The 

 descriptions of these meteors, which ai'e included in the following general 

 list, differ in some important physical respects, which might almost lead to an 

 independent conclusion that two different meteors were observed. The meteor 



* 'iS'atiu-e,' Aprilia 1872. . 



