OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 391 



other portions of the sky, and continuing to appear as long as the principal 

 shower was at its height until 5 minutes after 8 o'clock. The cloud then 

 gradually dispersed, and at 8 minutes after 8 o'clock it left the portion of the 

 sky which it had occupied as clear as it had been at first. So small and 

 i'requent were the meteors of this group that they could not be counted, and 

 they were omitted from the enumeration of those which passed across that 

 region of the sky." 



Although many meteors of great brilliancy were seen, Padre Denza esti- 

 mates the proportion of first-magnitude shooting-stars not to have exceeded 

 the fifth or sixth part of the whole number visible. Their courses were short, 

 their speed moderate, and their colour white or bluish white. A faint aurora 

 was visible during a great part of the continuance of the shower. 



These singular features of the display were not, however, recorded by the 

 majority of the observers ; but a faint aurora was observed at Palermo and 

 at other places in Italy, which, owing to commotions of the sun's photo- 

 sphere on that day, and not in the anticipation of any meteoric shower, Prof. 

 Tacchini telegraphed to some distant stations would probably be visible during 

 the night of the 27th. It was seen at Liverpool, and elsewhere in England ; 

 as well as a much brighter aurora at Bristol on the morning of the 24th. 



The shower was seen at Bombay, beginning at 8 o'clock p.m., and lasting 

 •with great brilliancy for eight hours ; at the Mauritius passing its maximum 

 between ll"" and half-past 11 o'clock vm. (where pulsations of the Aurora 

 Australis were also seen) ; and at Para in Brazil beginning at dusk and con- 

 tinuing until nearly midnight, besides at numerous places in Europe and 

 the United States of America where it was carefully observed. From the 

 nearly vertical descent of the meteors in Europe and America from a radiant- 

 point overhead, their apparent paths and durations were short, and a few 

 only of the brightest left very persistent streaks. It was remarked by Prof, 

 Newton that the bodies themselves were without doubt smaller, and would 

 therefore in any case be more quickly consumed than the usual August and 

 November meteors. None were observed at "Washington or Newhaven that 

 would have appeared notable in either the display of August 10th or of 

 November 14th. Among the 10,000 meteors counted at Glasgow Obser- 

 vatory by Professor Grant, only eight are described as having been as bright 

 as Sirius or Jupiter ; and about the same number were regarded by Mr. Lowe 

 as sufficiently conspicuous for description among about 14,000 meteors, which 

 he estimates to have been visible from his point of view. By Padre Denza 

 about twenty meteors are stated to have been as bright as Jupiter or Venus 

 among the 33,000 shooting-stars counted by his assistants. In a foggy and 

 lamp-lit atmosphere on the Capitol at Kome, Padre Secchi reckoned only a 

 fifth part as equal to second-magnitude stars, and a twentieth part as bright 

 as first-magnitude stars. Of the latter kind 188 were recorded, and only 

 thirty-three leaving phosphorescent streaks, among a total number of nearly 

 14,000 meteors seen there by his observers. One of these bright meteors was 

 a fine bolide, leaving a bright streak visible for about 3 minutes. Prof. Tacchini 

 states the numbers of various brightnesses seen at Palermo thus : — 



1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th and 6th magnitudes. 

 Numbers of meteors seen 10 1 40 53 698 (Total 802) 



Of the ten first-magnitude meteors four were unconformable, and radiated 

 from a point below Orion, leaving very persistent streaks. Among about 

 8000 meteors seen at Athens, Dr. Schmidt could also not include a single 

 bolide having a sensible apparent disk. The average magnitude of the 



