OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 



295 



rHE year ending in August, 1878 — continued. 



Length of 

 Path 



over 



Middles- 

 borough 

 and Dur- 

 ham, about 

 40° W. of 

 north.) 



Direction or Radiant-point 



Shape of 

 the head. 



<F 



Do. when the 

 red particle 

 separated 

 from it. 



(From midway between the 

 horizon and the zenith to 

 a point very near the 

 horizon over Otley.) 



(At first horizontal; and at 

 last descending towards 

 the direction of Fettes 

 College and Corstorphine 

 Hill.) 



Somewhat descending, in a 

 path slightly concave to 

 the horizon. 



Appearance, Eemarks, &c. 



a cloud. [Fell vertically, 

 due N., at Calne, Wiltshire, 

 and in London ; ' The Times 

 and 'Nature,' May 16th 

 and slowly in the N.N.W. at 

 Manchester. (R. P. Greg).] 



Oblong, giving off sparks in 

 irregular outline, and leaving 

 a trail of stars behind it ; 

 then burst into pieces, and 

 disappeared. (Nucleus fol- 

 lowed by a tail of red sparks 

 or 'cinders,' about ten times 

 the head's diameter in length ; 

 the whole forming an elon- 

 gated firebolt.) 



D. R. Stewart, 'Na- 

 ture, vol. xviii, p. 

 77, May 16, 1878. 

 (' Astrologer," T.R.,' 

 ' The Scotsman,' 

 May 15th and 16th, 

 1878.) 



Head a round ball of electricity. 

 Tail long and tapered, of the 

 same brightness as the head ; 

 both at last melted away. 

 Two minutes after disap- 

 pearance one loud deep peal 

 of thunder heard ; sheet 

 lightning began a quarter of 

 an hour later, and continued 

 to flash for some time. 



[Corresponding in time of ap 

 pearance to about 9 h 20 m p.m 

 G.M.T.] 



Head a round ball, thirty or 

 forty times more bright than 

 o Lyras (?), a star seen just 

 below it among clouds; fol 

 lowed by a rocket-like tail 

 of sparks, which was not 

 persistent ; no report heard. 



Observer or 

 Reference 



J. S. (and J. D.).' The 

 Scotsman,' May 16th 

 (and 20th), 1878. 



Nature,' 

 1878. 



May 23rd, 



W. A. Sanford. 'Na- 

 ture,' vol. xviii. p. 

 169, June 13, 1878. 



