6 



rr^ 



ROKOMY 



[Sect. I. 



S 



ect. ^-^ 



easy to say that it appears pretty exactly as bright as one 

 star, certainly brigliter than a second, and certainly not so 



tvtrl * 



bright as a third. 



6. Much atteBtion has been excited by the appearance, 

 in several years, of meteors in great niunbers, on or about 

 the 9th of August and the 12th of November.f It is 

 probable that these appearances may be seen by per.^ons 

 at sea, when, either from the hour at which they occur, or 

 from other causes not yet understood, they cannot be seen 

 in Europe. It is impossible to observe them with accu- 



but very valuable information will be given by 



racv 



counting repeatedly how many can be seen in some hxed 



interval of time, as five minutes ; and by remarking whe- 

 ther they all come from, or go to. one part of the heavens ; 

 what is that part of the hea>jns; whether they usually 

 leave trains behind them ; what is their usual brightness 

 (as compared with that of known stars) ; and by any other 

 remarks which may be suggested by their appearance. 



7. Maay opportunities will occur of observing the zo- 

 diacal light : more especially when the observer is near 

 the equator^ where probably it can be seen at all seasons, 

 before sunrise and after sunset ; or, if in northern latitudes, 

 after sunset in February and March, and before sunrise 

 in September and October ; if in southern lati^'^ides, bc^jre 



* c^. 



rfee a list of variable stars, and some suggestions for observations 





of bi igbtiiess of starsj in the Appendix. — (Eb. 



t Humboldt (Kosmos, i. 387) enumerates the following epochs as 



-26: Aug. 9-— 11; 



25: July 17 



especially fertile in meteors, viz. April 22 



Nov. 12—14 and 27—29: Dec. 6—12. Of all these epochs, that of 

 August ha?. ^^Itherto proved to be the most regular. The star B Came- 

 lopardali has for several years been their point of divergence about 



that epoch. 



Any cr -ige in this respect should be recorded 



(Ei>0 





sunrJ 



ail 







the su 



from 

 cliiied 



\ 



^n^ 



lipt 



body c 

 and th 

 u-anot 



the. Jo 

 naked 



-'^ 



IS 





should 

 the St "^ 

 with !■, 

 jf tho 

 the) 

 the li 



lOJ 



1 



vations 

 the ey 



registe 

 to be 



St 



tatem 

 weat] 



^"uuti( 



