ON LUMINOUS METEOR3. 35 



its size apparently equal to the full moon, which it surpas- 

 sed considerably in brightness. I h;id two intelligent ob- 

 servers with nie at the time, and an excellent opportunity 

 was afforded for this comparison, as the moon was shining, 

 and the atmnspher» unohscnred by cloud-. The last pro- sd, 

 gressive meteor I have had an opportunity of observing oc- 

 curred on a cloudy, bu: moordit^lit night in augHst 1808, 

 at one o'clock. It wa? smaller than either of the preceding, 

 and of a briyht red colour; it described u curve of short 

 radius; Jtb cour^t* was nearly from north to south, appear- 

 intf a. id <iisappearing nearly at the extremities of the same 

 hoiizontal hue; it dispersed in luminous particles; no track 

 or train of light was observed. 



The peculiarities of smaller meteors are very different. Smnller mete- 



They move with iiwonreivable velocity; their iicjht is less "* ■*^''" ^'^^'■* 



•^ ... enT,andai>par- 



brdliant; iheir course usually rectilinear; thtir appearance emlyelectricai. 



frequent, and attendant on states of the atmosphere known 



to be most connected with its electrical changes. Like 



lightning they more frequently strike trom one part of the 



atmosphere to another, than from the atmosphere to the 



Earth ; and like it also, when they appear to strike the Earth, 



they leave no evidence of a moon, or planetary body, having 



done so. 



Large meteors have rarely dispersed over any spot within DifFsrence of 

 reach of observation, but stony bodies have been found ; but ^^''S^ meteors, 

 this has not to my knowledge been ever the case with falling 

 stars, or meteors of a similar nature. From this circim- 

 stance, and fr. m the different appearance of their light, the 

 different velocity with which they move, the frequent ap- 

 pearance of the one, and the rare occurrence of the other, I 

 think the two kinds of meteors are distinctly defined, and 

 decisively separated. 



With regard to the streaks oflight sometimes seen in the Occasional 

 track of shooting stars, 1 am rather inclined to think with sireaks of light 

 • • 1 -11 • 1 ¥ /• 1 in ilr^ trackof 



Mr. rarey it may be an optical illusion; but J confess this ihe smaller 



coficlusion is in the highest degree doubtful ; though its ac- ™ ^ ^^ differ- 

 curacy does not appear to me capable ot being easily ascer- gdfor. 

 tained, as various equally probable explanations may be 

 given of the pher>omenon. No light was apparent in the 

 track of either of the progressive meteors I have observed, 

 D 2 and 



