OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 149 



tion, and the absence of a persistent liglit-streak on its courflo, proves it 

 not to have been a Perseid, and the radiant was found by Mr. Denning, from 

 other descriptions of its apparent course, to have been in the constellation 

 Aquila. A similar optical illusion to that described b}' Mr. Norris, of the 

 fireball appearing to be projected on a background of dark cloud during a 

 part of its course, -was noticed by an observer of the largo fireball of Sep- 

 tember 14th, 1875, at Faringdon, Berks, Mr. AV. Dundas, who writes that " the 

 sky above was cloudless ; but shortly before I lost sight of it some heavy 

 clouds low in the sky (and before and after invisible) were brightly displaj'cd 

 as it passed them. To me it seemed at the time as if the meteor passed 

 between mo and them, and that the light on them was refiected, not trans- 

 mitied. Of course, if the meteor was seen also at Bath it could not be so ; 

 but it suffered no visible diminution of brilliancy while passing these 

 clouds " *. 



An observer of the same meteor (August 15, 9.30 p.ir.), at Cirencester, 

 describes it as very magnificent, " passing slowly across the north-western 

 heavens, about midway between Arcturus and the horizon. The colour was 

 a vivid pale green ; it left a greenish wake behind it, and burst with brilliant 

 scintillations of whiter light." 



II. Large Meteors. 



1876, June 15, about 8^ 5" or S"* 15" p.m. local time, Suez, and several 

 stations on the Grand Canal. — In the ' Comptes Rendus,' vol. Ixxxiii. p. 28, 

 a number of accounts from the station-masters at many places on the Suez 

 Canal, from Suez to Rouville Simsah and Baz-el-beh, are reported by M. 

 Lesseps of a very large detonating meteor which appeared at the above time. 

 At the two latter places no sound of a detonation is described ; but the 

 meteor was extremely bright, bursting at last like a rocket, and moving in 

 the south-east from west to east. This was also the direction of its motion 

 at the midway station El-Ferdan, where its hght was dazzling, its dura- 

 tion was three seconds, and a detonation followed it like distant thunder. 

 The detonation was most violent at the " deversoir," where the meteor like a 

 mass of white light moved from south to north, apparently approaching, 

 and left in the zenith after its disappearance a comet-like cloud of light 

 visible for several seconds (a perfectly similar appearance of tho meteor was 

 observed at Barneses). Almost immediately after its disappearance, a noise 

 like that of thunder and detonations, which were for an instant terrifying, 

 were heard. At the station of Xabret the meteor, intensely bright and 

 lasting three seconds, was seen to burst like a rocket, and was immediately 

 followed by a thunder-like report. At one of the southernmost stations the 

 meteor seemed to fall in the neighbourhood, descending like a fiery dart, 

 which burst at last, and sounds like distant cannons followed two minutes 

 after its disappearance. At Suez the meteor illuminated the horizon bril- 

 liantly for a few seconds. 



1870, July 8, about 8" 55" p.m. (local time), Indiana, U.S.— The following 

 letter from Prof. D. Kirkwood appeared in the 'New York Tribune' of 

 July 19, 1876, describing the appearance of a very brilliant fireball in the 

 State of Indiana, U.S., on the above date, leaving a streak of light of unusual 

 duration on its track : — 



" Sib, — A meteor of extraordinary brilliancy was visible in all parts of 



* ' ABtronomical Kegister' for April 1876, Appendix, p. 11. 



