85 OV LUMITJOUS riIE\OMEN-A. 



beliliid. Uader this form it continued its course with a 



nearly equable motion, droppinc^ or casting- oft' sparks, and 



yieldini^ a prodigious light, which illuminated all objects to 



a sui"prisia^ degree; till having passed the east, and verging 



considerably to the southward, it gradually descended, and 



at length w«s lost out of sight. The time of its appearance 



was 9h'. l6in. P. M. mean time of the meridian of London, 



and it continued visible about half a minute. 



Its height 57 It seems probable, that the meteor burst and united again 



20 mi'leT'?"'"^ *^^'^'""' times during its course; and that the great change 



peoiid; cl:a. corresponded with the period at which it suffered a deviation 



nifcier half a j^^ j^g course. Its appearance was not uniloimly bright, but 

 mile; course ^^ '' ti » 



1200 niil.s. consisted of livid and dull parts, which were perpetually 



changing their relative position. Its height deduced by 

 computation from the angular elevations fiom various places, 

 proves much more correspondent than might be expected 

 from such data. One combination gives the height 54| 

 statute miles, two give 57 miles, two .58, one 59, and one 

 6o : the mean is 57f miles. It does not appear to have really 

 approached the Earth in its course, which was above 1200 

 miles in length. Its absolute diameter across, supposing it 

 to have been about half a degree broad, was half a mile, 

 and its velocity was at least 20 miles in a second. A report 

 was heard after its disappearance; and it is very remarkable, 

 considering the rarity of the air at such a height, that 

 the height of the meteor, deduced from the time of the pas- 

 sage of the sound*, nearly agrees with the geometrical de- 

 duction : it is 56i miles. A hissing, whizzing, or cracking, 

 was also said to have been heard during its passage. 

 Sir Charles After describing the phenomena of the smaller meteor, 



Kppea^ai cesto '^'^'^"^^ appeared on the 4th of October in the same year, 

 electri(! y. Sir Charles proceeds to consider the cause of these pheno- 

 cr'ul *^ "i- '^d- '^^"^' ^^^ shows the insufficiency of Ilalley's hypothesis, 

 that of planet- that they consist of a train of combustible vapours set on 

 ary projection fj^g . j^^^j jjjgQ ^f ^y^^^ which supposes they are terrestrial co- 

 njets. This last position he observes is incornpatible with 

 their general appearance, which does not resemble solid bo- 

 dies; with their exceeding great number, wbicl; cou'd tcarc*:- 



• Ph. Trans, vol. ?■!■, p. l',1. 



I 



