OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 



99 



" In 1808. — See the British Association Reports for that year. 



" In ISOi). — December 12th, a fine night ; one meteor in half an hour, 

 from radiant G. 



" In 1870.— Overcast on the 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th, excepting a 

 clearance of an hour's duration from 11" 30'" p.m. on the 12th to 12" 30" a.m. 

 on the 13th. Five meteors in three quarters of an hour from radiant G, 

 and traces of radiant K. 



" In 1871. — December 12th and 13th, overcast, excepting half an hour 

 from 11" P.M. to 11" 30'" p.m. on the 13th. Amount of clear sky = |. One 

 meteor in this time from radiant M^. 



" December 13th, 11" 12"' p.m. ; third magnitude ; blue ; duration 0-5 sec. 

 From K Orionis; path 6°; directed from p Geminorum. liachant Mj*. 



At Buntingford, Herts, the only period clear enough for observations was 

 obtained by Mr. Greg between 9" 45'" and 11" 30'" p.m. on the night of the 

 12th, the sky on the night of the 13th of December being completely over- 

 cast. Fourteen meteors were seen, of which thirteen radiated from the direc- 

 tion of Gemini. They were mostly small, with short paths and moderate 

 velocities ; scarcely more than two or three sufficiently bright to have attracted 

 the attention of other observers at distant stations. The December star- 

 shower appears to be no longer so striking, either in size or in number of the 

 meteors, as it was eight or ten years since. The apparent velocities of the 

 meteors were also scarcely greater than half, or perhaps about 40 per cent, 

 less than those of the meteors of the August shower. The meteors noted by 

 Mr. Greg were principally those which moved with short courses near the 

 radiant-point. The backward prolongation of their tracks, projected upon a 

 map, are closely clustered round the star d Geminorum, which was the prin- 

 cipal radiant-point, with a tendency also to be concentrated along a line of 

 the meridian extending 5° or 6° north and south of that star, and principally 

 southwards from it towards, and apparently nearly as far as, the stars e and 

 V Geminorum, giving the radiant- region an oblong form, with its greatest 

 elongation in the direction of an arc of the mei-idian. 



At York the condition of the sky was so unfavourable that scarcely one 

 meteor was visible during the whole of the December period. At Newcastle- 

 on-Tyne the sky was also completely overcast. At Glasgow rain continued 

 on the night of the 12th until ten o'clock, when the sky became clear, and 

 remained so for an hour until about 11" 30™ p.m., when it was again obscured. 

 During this interval seven meteors from Gemini, nearly equal to first-magni- 

 tude stars in brightness, were recorded, and their apparent paths were mapped 

 by Mr. R. M'^Clure. The first (described in the above list of large meteors), 

 which diverged like the rest from Gemini, was as bright as Jupiter ; and but 

 one meteor of the shower left a persistent streak. A Geminid was also 

 observed at 12" 20" on the same night, aud its apparent course was mapped. 

 The tracks of all these shooting-stars prolonged backwards passed through a 

 small circle about 12° in diameter, Avhose centre was close to the star c Gemi- 

 norum at a point in R. A. 97°, N. Deck 28°. Twenty meteors were counted 

 by two observers during the hour of the watch ; but the paths of only the most 

 conspicuous, which diverged from the direction of a radiant-point in Gemini, 

 were recorded upon the map. On the night of the 13th, rain, and a com- 

 pletely overcast state of the sky, prevented any further observations. 



By projecting all the recorded paths of the Geminids upon a single map, a 



* This meteor may also possibly have been a " Geminid," the direction of its apparent 

 path being very nearly conformable to the position of the radiant-point of the shovrer 

 in Gemini as observed at its return last year. 



