passe | 
XXIX. 
ON THE GREAT METEOR OF FEBRUARY 8ru, 1894. By 
PROFESSOR ARTHUR A. RAMBAUT, D.S8c., F.R.A.S. 
[Read Marcu 21; Received for publication Marcu 30; Published Apri 25, 1894.] 
I ruinx it will be of interest to the Society to lay before it the 
facts relating to a great meteor which appeared on February 8th 
of this year, as far as I have been able to ascertain them. 
This remarkable object attracted the attention of thousands of 
people at various places over a region containing nearly 100,000 
square miles, from Whitby in Yorkshire to London, and from 
Ballinasloe to Chelmsford in Essex. 
Even at night it does not often occur that a meteor is seen 
over such an extended tract of country; but to have been so 
widely conspicuous within a few minutes of noon, on a day when 
bright sunshine almost universally prevailed, the meteor must 
have been one of very unusual dimensions. 
At three minutes after noon, mean Dublin time, on the day in 
question, I happened to be standing in the grounds of the Obser- 
vatory at Dunsink, when suddenly my attention was drawn to a 
brilliant object, which first appeared at an altitude of 25° (as 
nearly as I could estimate it) above the horizon. It fell in a 
vertical direction, and disappeared behind some trees at a height. 
of, as nearly as possible, 5° above the horizon. To me it appeared 
of a distinctly greenish tint. The motion was not very rapid, but 
the phenomenon was so sudden and unexpected that I made no 
attempt to estimate the duration of its flight. 
On account of the exceptional brilliance of the phenomenon, 
I put a notice of it in some of the daily papers, and in reply have 
had accounts from a very large number of people who happened 
to see it in other parts of this country and in England. Most of 
these accounts are, however, of such an indefinite character as to 
be of little or no use in determining the path of the body. 
