276 MR. JOSEPH BAXENDELL ON THE METEORIC 



of the time of maximum frequency. The results of the 

 observations are as follows : — 



Average number of 

 Meteors per minute. 



At 17.^ 24"" 37 



40 9'5 



56 i7'9 



13 12 23'6 



23 20-3 



34 197 



14 30-g 2'3 



15 274 0-4 



The curve formed by a projection of these numbers gives 

 i3h. 12m. as the time of maximum frequency. The pro- 

 bable error of this result can hardly exceed one minute. , 



In order to determine the position of the radiant-point, 

 the positions of the intersecting points of the paths, con- 

 tinued backwards, of a great number of pairs of meteors 

 were noted. By far the greater number of these points 

 fell on a space bounded by lines joining the stars y, ^, fi, e, 

 and rj Leonis ; and, allowing equal weights to all the ob- 

 servations, the mean position was found to be E.. A. gh. 

 58m. I2s.= 149° 33' ; Dec. 22° 57-5' north. Calculating 

 the position referred to the ecliptic, we have Ion. = i43°4i-o'; 

 lat. = 9° 54-5' north. 



At the time of maximum frequency the earth was ad- 

 vancing in the direction of a point on the ecliptic the lon- 

 gitude of which was 141° 28'3', or 2° I2'7' less than that 

 of the radiant. It appears, therefore, that the meteors 

 were crossing the earth's orbit from within outwards, and 

 that their aphelion distance is very sensibly greater than 

 the earth's radius vector on the 13th of November. 



The velocity of the earth in its orbit on the 13th of No- 

 vember is 18-38 miles per second, and the velocity of the 

 November meteors when they enter the earth's atmosphere 

 has been found to be 40 miles per second. With these 

 data and the latitude of the radiant.point as given above, 



