118 



REPORT 1879. 



Real Paths of Large Meteors doubly observed, 



Date and Hour, G.M.T. (or Local 

 Time). Size and General Appear- 



1878, Nov. 18, 9 h 50 m p.m. 

 fine slow-moving meteor, 

 bright as Jupiter or Venus. 



A 



as 



1878, Dec. 30 (about 6 h 57 m p.m.) 

 As wide as moon's diameter, 

 and several times as long 

 (Wooster) ; greenish, and red 

 at bursting, which it did into 

 pieces, some distance before 

 disappearing. No detonation 

 heard. 



1879, Jan. 12, 7 L 25° p.m. (Berlin 

 time). Diameter of, and out- 

 shone the moon (Prague) ; glo- 

 bular with thin tail ; disap- 

 peared suddenly. Violent shock 

 and detonation heard in 

 Prague, in 1£ min. after disap- 

 pearance. 



1879, Jan. 12, 7 h 32™ p.m. (Berlin 

 time). Similar appearance to 

 the last meteor, but smaller, 

 and not detonating. 



1879, Jan. 28, 2 h 28 m a.m. Im- 

 mense fireball 4 x moon's dia- 

 meter (Charlevoix, Michigan, 

 where it burst overhead into 

 fragments) ; fiery ring of sparks 

 thrown off it, with earthquake 

 like explosion, Traverse City, 

 Mich. 



1879, Feb. 22, ]2 h 20- a.m. Great 

 fireball | moon's diameter ; 

 white and green, then red 

 burst into fragments; cast an 

 intense light ; thunder-like re- 

 port at Haverhill and Saffron 

 Walden. 



1879, Feb. 24, 12" 45 m a.m. Great 

 fireball = full moon (York), 

 white ; long red or yellow tail 

 seen at Brighton (at a dis 

 tance) ; light like ' a summer 

 day ; ' broke up or went out 

 suddenly; violent report like 

 an earthquake at York (and 

 Stockton) in 1^ min. 



Principal Places of 



Observation 



Bristol and Writtle 

 (Chelmsford). Eeal 

 path calculated by 

 Major Tupman and 

 Professor Herschel. 



Wooster, Ohio, and at 

 Anderson, Ind., and 

 Washington, Pennsyl- 

 vania. (Notes and 

 calculation of its path 

 by Professor Kirk- 

 wood.) 



Prague, Rakonitz, Peters- 

 dorf, Neucunnersdorf, 

 and many other places 

 in Bohemia. (Calcu- 

 lation, and accounts of 

 the fireball's course, by 

 Prof, von Niessl.) 



Rakonitz, Neucunners- 

 dorf, &c, in Bohemia ; 

 and Salzburg, Zittau, 

 &c, in Tyrol and 

 Saxony. 



Traverse City, Cheboy 

 gan, Sea., Michigan ; 

 and Princeton, Wis- 

 consin. Real path and 

 notes of the meteor 

 by Prof. Kirkwood. 



Haverhill, Saffron Wal- 

 den, Bury St. Edmunds, 

 Brentwood, and Go- 

 dalming. (Real path 

 by J. E. Clark and A. 

 S. Herschel.) 



York, Whitby, Hull, and 

 at distant places ; Man 

 Chester, Liverpool, Bir- 

 mingham, Brighton, 

 Dundee, &c. 



Meteor's Real Course 



Height and Locality of 

 Beginning End 



70 or 80 m. over a 

 point midway be- 

 tween Nantes and 

 Angers. 



72 m. over Colum- 

 biana County, 

 Ohio. 



40 m. over the Sud- 

 etengebirge (N.E. 

 of Bohemia); but 

 real beginning 

 perhaps higher 

 and earlier. 



78 m. over a point 

 near Pibram, Bo 

 hernia. 



Nearly 100 m. over 

 a point in N. lat 

 44° 25', long. 9 C 

 W. 



50 m., or 75 m. over 

 a point between 

 Godstone and 



Guildford, Surrey 



About 60 m. over a 

 point 28 m. N.E. 

 from Whitby (be 

 ginning, unob 

 served, still 

 earlier). 



45 or 50 m. over a 

 point midway be- 

 tween Le Mans 

 and Laval, France. 



17 or 1 8m. above Tus- 

 carawas County, 

 Ohio (the explo- 

 sion) ; height at 

 final disappear 

 ance about 12 or 

 13 miles. 



9 m. over Rakonitz ; 

 25 m. W. from 

 Prague (where 

 distance by sound 

 interval was about 

 18 m.). 



23 m. over Grosshain, 

 near Dresden. 



2G m. over Charle- 

 voix, Michigan 

 (probably lower, 

 or continuing its 

 flight somewhat 

 further 1) 



5 or 6 m. over a 

 point between 

 Haverhill and 

 Newmarket, Cam 

 bridsreshire. 



6 or 7 m. over a 

 point midway be- 

 tween Leeds and 

 Selby. 



