8 ON THE ORBIT AND PHENOMENA 



first seen was about 9 o'clock P.M., and the duration of its visibility about 45 

 seconds." ' 



BansviUe, New York, Nos. 8, 9, 59, and 178. Nos. 8, 9, and 59 were communi- 

 cated by Prof. J. J. Brown, who says that he asked a number of persons who saw 

 the meteor, to point out its apparent path, by means of a board, which he had attached 

 by a pivot to a post, and that they invariably swept the heavens " through the 

 zenith ;" that in size it was spoken of vaguely as " about the size of the moon ;" that 

 one observer said he saw it "run right over that big star" (a Lyrse). In a letter 

 received some weeks later, he says : " I have just finished mounting an equatorial 

 telescope, and the first purpose to which I have applied it is to determine the 

 altitude and direction of the meteor, in regard to which you wrote me. The mean 

 altitude of six observers, who were requested to point the telescope to the spot 

 where the meteor appeared when S. 76° 30' E., is 77° 2'." No. 178 was taken from 

 an article in the Rochester Democrat, and communicated by Prof. Chester Dewey. 



Danville, Pennsylvania, Lat. 40° 58', Lon. 76° 39'. The following article 

 appeared in the Pottsville Mining Journal: "Danville, July 21. — A very brilliant 

 meteor passed over this place last evening at ten o'clock, giving as much light as a 

 full moon. It came in view at the horizon, west of northwest, and passed due east, 

 being about six seconds in passing. It went out of sight below the horizon, east 

 of northeast. When directly northeast, it broke, forming two, one following the 

 other. Some minutes" (another account says four) " after it disappeared, a sound 

 resembling thunder was distinctly heard. No clouds were in sight." ^ 



Davidsonville, Maryland, No. 186. Observed by Henry U. Thorpe, who says 

 the altitude of the meteor was about 20° when a little west of north ; that it 

 seemed to divide when "a little east of the meridian."^ 



Deep Greeh, Virginia, No. 131. Observed by James Smith, eleven miles nearly 

 due south from Norfolk. He says that the meteor appeared about due north at an 

 altitude of about 10°, and that it travelled about 30° in about one minute.* 



Delanco, New Jersey, Lat. 40° 4', Lon. 75° 5'. Time, near 10 o'clock.^ 



Detroit, Michigan, Nos. 10, 74 and 159. One account says of the meteor, " It 

 appeared at 9h. 15m. P.M., 40° above the horizon, 30° west of north, taking an 

 easterly direction. It moved slowly to the east till it was lost sight of behind a 



* Communicated by Capt. George G. Meade and Lieut. Orlando M. Poe, of the IT. S. Lake Sur- 

 vey. According to the calculated path, the altitude of the meteor increased about H° during the 

 first half of its visible track, and then decreased 9|° during the last half. Time of first appearance, 

 9h. 16m. 3 sec, and visible 17 seconds. 



* According to calculation, the meteor was 23 seconds in passing from a northwest to a northeast 

 azimuth ; the time when it passed the meridian was 9h. 3Ym. 2 sec. ; the azimuth at the first explo- 

 sion almost due north, and at the second about N. "79° E. ; and the sound, if it was caused by the 

 first explosion, should have been heard about 8 minutes after the meteor disappeared. 



* According to the calculated path, the division took place about one-eighth of a second before the 

 meteor crossed the meridian ; but it is allowable to suppose that the separation was not noticed till a 

 second or so afterward. 



* According to the calculated path, the meteor was 21 seconds in passing from "due north" to 

 N. 30° E. 



'According to calculation, the meteor crossed the meridian at 9h. 43m. 28 sec. 



