

OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 

 ie year exding in AufiUST, 1878 — continued. 



297 



Length of 

 Path 



Direction or Radiant-point 



Its apparent course was about 

 due west, [which o Ursas 

 Majoris was also from the 

 N. Pole ; not conformable 

 to the radiant in Scorpius 

 of the two next meteors.] 



Descending from right to 

 left, slope of path about 

 30° from vertical ; posit ions 

 by memory and measure- 

 ment* soon after. [From 

 E. to W., appearing to 

 strike the earth on or near 

 Durdham Down (? Bristol).] 



S.E. to N.W. 



. to N., very nearly parallel 

 to the horizon, with a very 

 slight declination towards 

 the north. [Almost due 

 E. to W.] 



From E. to W., almost hori- 

 zontal and parallel with 

 the ecliptic. From a 

 radiant near Antares. 



Appearance, Remarks, &c. 



Nucleus egg-shaped, in lengtl 

 half as long again as its 

 breadth, and smallest behind, 

 with a long luminous train 

 following it ; the latter 

 formed of several globules 

 (five or six at least) in a 

 row, the brightest near the 

 head. 



Seen in daylight 



Nucleus pear-shaped ; notundu 

 lating in its motion, nor 

 emitting sparks, nor nearly 

 so brilliant as that seen 

 at about 9.45 p.m. on the 

 same evening. [Like the later 

 meteor, it had a long tail. — 

 Like a globe of liquid and 

 transparent fire (Bristol ?).] 



Nucleus round ; emitted jets 

 of large sparks as it moved 

 along. 



At first cast the observer's 

 shadow like the moon, which 

 looked a muddy yellow disc 

 beside it ; disappeared sud- 

 denly. [Like a Bengal light 

 passing through the heavens.] 



Nucleus pear-shaped, varying in 

 brilliancy ; casting off a 

 short train of sparks as it 

 sailed along ; very fine even 

 in strong twilight and moon- 

 light. [Nucleus with tail of 

 light behind it " ten yards " 

 in length, " was seen for a 

 few seconds after the tail 

 had disappeared."] 



Slowness, and horizontal di- Nucleus with very little tail ; 

 rection of the motion was but smoky atmosphere or 



very remarkable. S. to N., 

 roughly, descending slight- 

 ly northwards. (S. to N. 



cloud-haze round it. Disap- 

 peared without explosion, 

 with a gradual extinction. 



Observer or 

 Reference 



G. H. E. Trouvelot, 

 ' The Science Ob- 

 server ' ( Boston 

 U.S.), vol. i. p. 78. 



Communicated by W 

 F. Denning. 



Andrew Lighton. 

 (Communicated by 

 W. F. Denning.) 

 [Captain Cunning 

 hame; and G. 

 Holmes ; newspaper 

 extracts.] 



Central Somersetshire 

 Gazette.' 



H. Middleton Rogers. 

 ' The Times,' June 

 10th, 1878. [Ibid; 

 seen also at South 

 ampton, Tunbridge 

 Wells, and Becken 

 ham.] 



W. F. Denning. « The 

 Times,' June 10th, 

 1878. [Captain 

 Cunninghame ; 

 newspaper extract.] 



T. Humphrey. Com- 

 municated by A. S. 

 Herschel. (L. J. 

 Whalley, 'Nature,' 

 vol. xviii. p. 185.) 



