OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 87 



hearing them ; but several notes of rumbling sounds heard simulta- 

 neously with the meteor's passage appear to be referable to the distant 

 detonation of the earlier meteor. The real velocity, as far as it can be 

 gathered, from only two observed durations of limited portions of the 

 track near its termination was (from each of these) about 12^ miles per 

 second. This is exactly the parabolic speed of meteors from the same 

 radiant-point, the celestial position of which, as obtained from the fore- 

 going discussion of the meteor's real course, was at 52° — 10° (±5°). 



Professor von Niessl points out the coincidence of the resulting radiant 

 with that of the fireball of January 7, 1877, observed at Birmingham 

 and in London, of which he finds the radiant-point from the observations 

 to have been about 48° — 11°, instead of the place assigned to it by 

 similar projections in these Reports (vol. for 1877, p. 135), at about 

 58°(±8°) — 14°. But the position of both of these fireballs appears yet 

 to be in very close agreement with the centre of the January ' Eridanid ' 

 shower which Mr. Denning found on January 4-20, 1877 (D. 2, 1877) 

 to be situated very close to y Eridani, at 57° — 12°. 



1879, January 28, 2 h 28 m a.m. (local time) ; Michigan and Wis- 

 consin, U.S. A detonating fireball. — Local newspapers in these States 

 teemed with eloquent descriptions of the fiery scene and crashing ex- 

 plosion which attended this fireball's appearance in the middle of the 

 night. But among them Professor Kirkwood was able to collect only a 

 few accurate and detailed descriptions of its apparent course. A night 

 watchman in Traverse City, Michigan, furnished Mr. T. Bates, the editor 

 of the ' Herald ' of that city, with the following statement : — 



' Was on watch, passing from due west to east ; saw a great light ; 

 turned quickly, and saw a ball of fire over my right shoulder ; turned to 

 left and watched it until it disappeared; when first seen it appeared 

 about as high as ordinary rain-clouds ; appeared to me larger than full 

 moon ; full moon looks to me to be 18 or 20 inches in diameter ; meteor 

 appeared to pass me, and move out of sight at about the rate of speed a 

 descending rocket has after its explosion ; had a good chance to see it 

 plainly ; just after passing me a singular thing occurred ; a ring of fire 

 seemed to peel off the meteor itself, and this followed the ball of fire out 

 of sight, but dropped a little behind it ; it was perfectly distinct, and 

 appeared to be hollow, for I could see a dark centre. Everything was as 

 light as day. I looked at my watch as it disappeared ; it was just 28 

 minutes after 2 o'clock. I passed on my beat, and shortly the terrific 

 explosion came. It shook and jarred everything around. I immediately 

 looked at my watch, and it was 32 minutes after 2.' 



Seeing it, when facing east, appear over his right shoulder at no ex- 

 treme altitude, and pass before him to his left-hand side, this observer 

 must have watched the fireball travel before and east of him at some 

 considerable altitude on a course directed nearly from SW. to N.E. At 

 Charlevoix, Michigan, about 35 miles KE. by E. from Traverse City, 

 the fireball, in fact, burst overhead. It appeared four times as large 

 as the full moon, with an intensity of brightness surpassing that of sun- 

 shine, and its explosion, which followed at a very brief interval, resembled 

 that of musketry. Its direction was nearly from S. W. to N.E. About as 

 much further in the same direction, at Cheboygan, Michigan, the light 

 was seen within doors, casting shadows as it approached from S.W. until 

 it disappeared. Its greatest (and apparently first) altitude (?), estimated 

 by the positions of the shadows, was found to be about 45°. No sound of 



