150 REPORT — 1876. 



Indiana on -Haturday evening, July 8, about five minutes before 9 o'clock. 

 Observations of the plienomeuon have been reported from Paoli, Eloomington , 

 ludianopolis, Elkhart, and various other points — the distance apart of the 

 first and last-named localities being over 270 miles. Mr. J, W. HoUiugs- 

 Avorth, of Paoli, says, ' Spectators agree in giving it a path from jST.E. to 

 N.W., with an altitude of at first 20°, and disappearing below the horizon. 

 One careful observer states that the streak of light following remained visible 

 more than 40 minutes of time, and all agree in ascribing a diameter of one 

 fourth to one third of a degree.' At ludianopolis, according to tho ' Daily 

 Journal ' of July 10, the meteor appeared ' in the constellation Cassiopeia at 

 a point about 25° above the horizon, whence it proceeded in a right liue to 

 the north-west, and passed over an arc of about 30°, and vanished in space 

 10° above the horizon.' 



"According to the observations at Paoli and ludianopolis, the meteor 

 became visible at an elevation of 130 miles above the earth's surface. It is 

 to be regretted tliat sufficient data have not been furnished for determining- 

 its height at disappearance, the length of its visible track, and tho eccentricity 

 of its orbit." 



III. Periodic Stae-Showers, 1875-76. 



With the exception of the annual reappearances of the Persci'ds, there have 

 been no marked occurrences of periodic star-showers during the past year. 

 The few particulars relating to them wliich have been received will be 

 described below ; and the following details refer chiefly to the display of 

 JPersei'ds in 1875 observed on the continent, accounts of which in England, 

 as described in the last Eeport, were obtained at a few stations onlj', owing 

 to the stormy weather that prevailed on the principal periodic nights. 



Stcir-SJiower of August 9th-llih, 1875 : Observations by the French Scientific 

 Association (' Comptes Pendus,' vol. Ixxsi. p. 439, September Gth, 1875). — 

 Report on the shower in Switzerland and elsewhere, by Dr. C. Wolf, of 

 Ziirich. At Eochefort, Messrs. Simon and Courbebaisse counted, on the average 

 of the whole time of their combined watch during the nigbt of the 10th of 

 August, 133 meteors per hour. At Avignon 858 meteors were mapped in the 

 same night between tho hours of 8.35 p.m. and 3'' 40" a.m. by M. Giraud, 

 assisted by several observers. At Lisbon, M. Capello noted at the Observa- 

 tory of 'I'lnfant Don Louis ' what appeared to be a maximum reappearance 

 of the shower, 1227 meteors being counted during the v>'atch on the night 

 of August 10th. Details of the shower and of the radiant-points distin- 

 guished in it were also received from M. Tisserand at Toulouse and from the 

 Observatory at Marseilles. 



Prof. Tacchini obtained at Palermo a number of distinct centres of radia- 

 tion of the shower, of which the following is a list; and he remarks that all 

 these definite centres, when projected on a map, are included, as he has 

 .already formerly observed, in a narrow elongated area. 



ct= S= a= d= a= S= a= 5 = 



o 



1875. r42 -f.54-5 f4y-2 +54-0 



Aug. 9th. ■^44-2 -1-50 5 ,^^ j 41-0 -1-55-7 Aug.^ 

 i44 -1-51-2 f"^-^ 41-7 4-54-5 11th" 



44-0 +53-0 Aug.-l ,, , ,„.„ 

 390 +5()-3 12lh/"^"^ +^'*'* 

 41-7 +53-5 

 44-u +510 

 ^45-1 +52-0 



Average of ;ill llie above siibradianl positious 42°-72, +53°-21. 



