Meteoric Observations of Nov. I3th, 1834. 337 



The appearance of these five meteors in such rapid succession 

 impressed me with tlie idea that an unusual meteoric display might 

 be about to commence or liad commenced ; tlie paths of three of 

 these when produced seemed to meet nearly, two of them I could 

 not bring to the same point with the other three. After waiting 

 some time for other meteors to confirm or refute the impression made 

 as to direction, by those just referred to, a meteor passed considera- 

 bly to the S of the zenitli, its track, when produced, passing very 

 much below the apparent radiant of the first three, and subsequently 

 one to the north of the first three, its track passing also below the 

 same point. 



In reviewing the observations of this morning, the only remarka- 

 ble occurrence of meteors is that noted between 5 A 15' A. M. and 

 5h 30'. But this was neither in degree, nnr in Jciiul Hke a portion 

 of the meteoric phenomenon notice il in Novend'cr, 1833. The low- 

 est estimate which could be made with any probability of accuracy, 

 of the number of meteors falling in half a minute in one third of 

 the heavens, on tlie 13th of Nov. 1833, so far exceeds the number 

 observed on this occasion, as to admit of no question in regard to 

 degree ; and again, including the five which fell in rapid succession, 

 there were but eight meteors seen in fifteen minutes, a number en- 

 tirely insignificant when compared with the numbers which fell in 

 that time a year since ; and further there was not even a sensible 

 unifomiity in their rate of fall, since after tiiose Cwe were seen, but 

 three occurred in fourteen and a half minutes. These meteors were 

 not similar to those of Nov. 1833 in kind, for the paths of two of 

 the five did not meet at what appeared to be the approximate radi- 

 ant of the other three, and the tracks of two passed very much be- 

 low this approximate radiant point. 



These meteors were similar both in degree and kind to ordinary 

 meteors. In the observations made by Mr. Espy and myself, we 

 noticed frequently that meteors succeeded each other so rapidly that 

 one observer could not distinctly trace their courses ; sometimes ap- 

 pearing to come from the same point, at others in paths very vari- 

 ously directed. To a circumstance of this kind the five quickly suc- 

 ceeding meteors, two of which had not a common radiant point with 

 the others are to be referred. In regard to the average frequency of 

 eight meteors in fifteen minutes, as shown before half past 5 A. M. 

 our observations made in the summer, and during the early part of 

 the evening, when meteors are compaiatively rare, have given six 



Vol. XXVII.— No. 2. 43 



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