100 REPORT— 1872. 



radiant-region of oval form contained between the meridians of 11. A. 96° and 

 1 12°, and between the parallels of north declination 20° and 40°, would 

 include the directions of 37 of the 45 tracks which are thus drawn. In this 

 area the intersections of the tracks, prolonged backwards, are slightly more 

 concentrated than elsewhere within the radiant-space, at a point in R. A. 

 104°, N. Decl, 34°, about 4° from towards a Geminorum, while the general 

 character of the radiation was diffuse ; and the apparent paths of but few 

 meteors were recorded near the radiant-point. 



Meteor-sJiower of Januarij 2nd~3rd, 1872. — On these dates a watch was 

 arranged to be kept by observers in different places in England, and at 

 Glasgow from half-past 10 o'clock until midnight ; and a favourable view 

 of the shower was obtained at most of them on the night of the 2nd of 

 January. 



Towards 11 o'clock a few detached clouds, which had partially' obscured 

 the sky in London during the earlier part of the evening of the 2nd of 

 January, disappeared, and the view of the shooting-stars during the re- 

 mainder of the watch until midnight was uninterrupted. In the neighbour- 

 hood of llegent's Park, Mr. T. Crumplen noted the appearance of nine 

 meteors in this interval, beginning his watch at lO"^ 45"\ and recorded the 

 apparent paths of six conformable meteors upon a map. Three of these were 

 as bright as first-magnitude stars. All but one, which appeared ruddy, 

 were white or bluish, not swift in their motion, and two of the brightest 

 left a short streak of light upon their course. The courses of all, prolonged 

 backwards, intersected each other within the space of a small circle 5° or 0° 

 in diameter, having its centre at R. A. 228°, N. Decl. 52°. So quickly did 

 bright meteors succeed each other, that it appeared probable that the shower 

 would continue to be of some brilliancy after midnight. An aurora was 

 visible at the same time in the north. 



In the south-west part of London, near Eaton Square, the meteors were 

 also watched by Prof. Herschel, between lO** 30"' and midnight, the Hght 

 of the rising moon, which first appeared at about 11'' 30'° p.m., being the only 

 obstruction to their view. The paths of 16 shooting-stars were mapped, of 

 which only one appears to have been unconformable to the usual radiant- 

 point of the shower. It shot on a very short course close to Polaris from 

 the direction of the zenith at 11'' 7"', and was not perfectly observed. Four 

 or five smaller meteors may also have passed unrecorded. Six of the meteors 

 mapped were as bright or brighter than Ist-magnitude stars, the brightest ap- 

 pearing white and those of lesser magnitudes o£ yellow colour. The brightest 

 only of the meteors seen appeared to leave a faint streak of light, visible for 

 less than a second, on its course. This meteor described a path of 35° in two 

 seconds : it was as bright as Sirius during the last half of its course ; it 

 appeared at 11'' 56'", and its appearance was simultaneously observed at 

 Hawkhurst. Of the fifteen conformable meteors, five were erratic members of 

 the shower, their apparent paths, prolonged backwards, passing about 20" on 

 each side of a very definite radiant-point, from which the remaining ten 

 meteors all diverged. A circle of about 6° in diameter, round a central 

 point in E. A. 227°, N. Decl. 49°, would include the intersecting prolonga- 

 tions backwards of the tracks of all the latter meteors. This apparent place 

 of the radiant-point, which was close to that observed by Mr. Crumplen, is 

 also not more than 5° from the position of the radiant-point of the same 

 shower, at R. A. 234°, N. Decl. 51°, as observed in 1864 *. A slight 

 increase in the rate of frequency during the watch appears to indicate a 

 * See these Reports for 1864, p. 98. 



