OBSEEVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 



267 



BEN IN THE YEARS 1876-78; SHOWING THEIR REAL PATHS, 

 ADIANT POINTS. 



Mstances ('in.', or 'miles') in British Statute Miles, 



Length of Path and 

 "Velocity. 



Observed Radiant Point 

 8 



.45 miles 



{30 miles, 35 miles p. sec. 

 65 miles, 31 miles p. sec. 

 70 miles (?) 



305 

 135 



170 miles (?) in 4 sees. (three 

 estimations) ; vel. 42 J 

 miles (?) p. sec. (parabolic 

 speed 11 miles per sec). 



7ery uncertain path ; ac- 

 curately described at 

 Monmouth only, and 

 roughly in Dublin. 



Vhout 70 miles (as deduced 

 I from this position). 



133 miles. Velocity (from 25 

 estimations of duration), 

 17| miles per second 



i (parabolic speed 19 miles 

 per second.) 



«8 ( ± 5) miles in not less 

 than 15 seconds. Ve 



' locity not greater than 5 

 miles per second). 



130 miles. Duration of the 



whole flight about 7 sec. ; 

 velocity 1 Similes per sec, 



155 miles in about 10 se- 

 conds for the whole 

 course; 15£ miles per sec. 

 (parabolic speed 15.5 

 miles per sec). 



160 miles in 8 or 9 seconds ; 

 about 19 miles per se 

 cond. (Parabolic speed 

 20 miles per second.) 



212 + 12 (± 3°), near f 

 Bootis. 



20 + 15 (?) near r/ Pis- 

 cium (assuming the 

 course to have been 

 nearly horizontal). 



\bout alt. 60°, 35° N. fr. 

 W. (by this descrip 

 tion). 



G2 + 21 (± 3°) near « 

 Tauri. 



70 miles in about 3 sees., 290 + 42 ; near 8 Cygni ; 



+ 7 . 

 + 27. 

 + 50. 



140 + 50 (?) 



T. 35. Streak visible 45 m . 

 D. 8(1877); =i ]) ; no streak. 

 Draconids I. (G.'47). Detonated. 

 G. 45 (?) ; 3 x ? . 



285 (± 1)+ 64 (± 5), at 

 i (8, o) Draconis. [ = G 

 166; Schmidt, Heis, 

 Nov. 1-15 ; Clark, and 

 DG 3 , Nov. 23— Dec. 9.] 



332 - 20 ( ± 5°) 



214-7 (± 4°) near t 

 Virsnnis. 



247 -25(± 5°); close to 

 Antares. 



Nearest known Radiant Point ; and Remarks. 



For full ac- 

 counts, see 

 vol. of these 

 Reports for 

 1877,pp.l49, 

 156. 

 202° + 9°, May, Heis. 210° + 20°, July 4-11, G, 

 89. (No known radiant near this place in 

 June.) Calculation of the meteor's real path 

 by M. Gruey, ' Comptes Rendus,' 1877, Oct. 1 ; 

 vol. lxxxv. p. 632. 

 Piscids II. 20° + 14° Oct. 13-29, 1876, Denning. 

 Slow meteors. (No dependence can be placed 

 on tJteassumed position of the fireball radiant.) 

 A very splendid meteor ; the streak perhaps 

 sunlit. 



Description of the meteor's real course by Prof, 

 H. A. Newton. (Letter in the ' Richmond 

 (U.S.) Daily Dispatch,' Dec. 13, 1877.) 



A slight alteration of the radiant (diminishin 

 its longitude) brings the orbit nearly into 

 coincidence with that of Athe comet of 

 1702. A well-known radiant, Taurids I. 

 (Calculation of the course by G. L. Tupman, 

 ' The Observatory,' vol. i. pp. 316 and 351.) 



The real orbit of the meteor cannot have been 

 far from circular. Period 549 days about 

 motion direct, with inclination about 30 c 

 (See the calculation of its path, p. 270, by 

 G. L. Tupman). 



Radiant a little S. of the Ecliptic. Directed in 

 its real orbit very nearly from the sun's 

 place (R.A. 4°|, N. Decl. 2°). 



23 miles per sec. (Para 

 bolic speed 21 m. per 

 sec). 



(or between 285° + 45° 

 and 300° + 35°). 



D 46 (1877), 210°- 10° ; rich and probably new 

 shower; Corder, Apr. — May, 1877, 208-6 

 Forshey, Apr. 18, 1841, 198°-8°. 



Radiant of fireball, 1873, June 17th, Aus- 

 tria and Bohemia (Galle, and von Niessl), 

 248°-20°. 



Denning, end of July, 1878, 284° + 44°; a 

 radiant of bright slow-moving meteors. 



