On the Meteors of iSthJVovember. 403 



l^ears to have some connexion with difference of longitude ; other- 

 wise we should expect to find the corresponding times at an earlier 

 hour of the night, in advancing from east to west at the rate of an 

 hour for every fifteen degrees of longitude. It is, therefore, a fact 

 to be particularly noted, that the phenomenon at a given stage, as at 

 the maximum, for example, appeared to places differing in longitude 

 10, 20, 30, or 40 degrees, at the same hour of the night ; as it will 

 have an important bearing on the question, whether the origin of the 

 meteors was terrestrial or astronomical. 



In most places the meteors disappeared only because they were 

 merged in the light of day ; but in a few instances, their number 

 began sensibly to diminish soon after day break, while it was still 

 too dark to ascribe the diminution to the advancing light of the 

 sun. The extreme limits of the observed duration were about eight 

 hours. 



3, Of the three varieties of meteors, it appears probable that the 

 first, namely, those which exhibited streaks of light or " phosphoric 

 lines," were much nearer the earth than either of the other kinds. 

 One gazing into space, however, in the night, with no measure of 

 distance in view, is liable to the greatest errors of judgment ; and 

 those who reached out their hands to grasp the luminous bodies, as 

 some are reported to have done, remind us of young children reach- 

 ing out for the moon. 



It is natural enough to refer the uniform westerly tendency of this 

 variety of meteors, to the effect of the earth's diurnal revolution, — 

 a circumstance which would affect most such as approached nearest 

 to the earth. Was the transient streak of light, which each descri- 

 bed, owing to the great velocity of the luminous body, leaving its 

 trace on the eye, like a stick burnt at the end and whirled in the 



air ? 



The second variety, or those which assumed the appearance of 

 balls of fire gliding down the vault, were undoubtedly, at a much 

 greater distance. If any of these can be identified by the peculiari- 

 ties of their appearance, or that of their trains, we may hope to ob- 

 tain data for estimating their height at the time of forming these trains, 

 that is, at the time of their apparent combustion. Comparing the 

 time, the direction, and the successive aspects of the train, in the 

 case of the meteor described by the writer as exploding near Ca- 

 pella, (See p. 365.) it appears probable that this was seen by Mr. 

 Barber at Frederic, Maryland, by Mr. Tomlinson at Brookfield, 



