OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. Ill 



In ' The Times,' a writer from Broadstairs relates that " from the clouds 

 an immense body of blue flame, beaded by a brilliant red colour, shot out. 

 Although no report was heard, it appeared distinctly to explode twice, and 

 was visible for from 8 to 12 seconds. It left behind it a streak of reddish- 

 coloured light, indicating the course it had taken." At Waltoii-on-the-Naze, 

 " the colour was white with a rose edging ; and from the old pier, persons 

 standing there say they distinctly saw sparks fly off from the meteor as it 

 rushed down. It left a thin streak of white cloud, which did not wholly dis- 

 appear for half an hour." The Broadstairs correspondent of the ' Standard ' 

 writes that it was '• as large as the sun at noonday, with a sort of crown on 

 the top and a long pointed tail. The head was of dazzling brightness and 

 surrounded by a dark rich blue outline, and it left a large white fissure in 

 the clouds [the white streak] where it passed through them, which remained 

 about 3 minutes." 



These and similar descriptions (that the meteor-head was " rayed or 

 spiked," that " it split " and " threw out arms," &c, and that it "rose up," 

 lighted the clouds, was perhaps meant, with a second flash), which might be 

 multiplied, when compared with Mr. Plummer's description (which, with a 

 clear view of every feature, mentions none of these singularities), may prove 

 what caution is required not to accept too readily the suddenly received and 

 often hastily formed and doubtfully recalled impressions which are produced 

 upon the minds of unprepared observers by these very startling apparitions. 



1S7G, November 8, 5 h 3 m p.m. — Although the twilight was strong, espe- 

 cially in the west, when this meteor traversed the central parts of England 

 from east to west, it was a fino object on most of its course, especially near 

 disappearance, when it separated into a string of several shiuing globes. 

 The observers remarked (which may be a misconjecture) that it at the same 

 time underwent a sensible downward deflection of its course. Its brightness 

 varied little, surpassing Yenus gradually on its long course, and becoming 

 Bomewhat suddenly brighter at disappearance, and besides a sparkling train 

 it left a persistent light-streak, not visible for many moments. By the ac- 

 count of all observers, it followed with rather slow motion a long horizontal 

 course from between the north and east to between the south and west, the 

 long career of the meteor showing also that its real path must have been 

 nearly horizontal on this course. One exact position only was recorded of 

 its point of disappearance, by Mr. F. C. Penrose at Wimbledon. The alti- 

 tude of the early part of its flight in the north from that point of view is 

 known approximately from an observer's estimate, 30° (equivalent in measured 

 height to not more than 20°) above the northern horizon, at New Cross. It 

 disappeared at Wimbledon at an altitude of 9°, very nearly, in the west ; and 

 even at Hay, near Hereford in Wales, an altitude of 20° or 25° in the west 

 of the last part of its flight was recorded by approximate descriptions. A 

 very different account from this long course is given by Mr. Brothers at 

 Manchester, who estimates its whole path at about 40° in length in the S. 

 and S.W., altitude about 30° as the least admissible, but at 38° as measured 

 from recollection, going almost horizontally between S. and S.W., with a 

 gradually descending course towards the west. This and the imperfect ob- 

 servations at the two or three other points already mentioned only enable 

 its real course to be roughly fixed in space ; and especially its length or extent 

 at the starting and disappearing points are quite uncertain. The height in 

 miles cannot have been much more or less than from 50 to 30 miles, along 

 its course ; and very slenderly accordant as the observations arc for its ter- 

 minal positions, the apparent radiant-point of the meteor's flight is yet, by 



