H. A. Newton on November Star-Showers. 55 
TABLE. 
No.} A.D. | Day and hour. | Longitude.| a - nt. Diff’ | End ofcye.| Diff. | Perturb. 
dh ; ; 
1 902 | Oct, 1217 | 24 16°6 | 24 18°1 | — 1°5 201°50 | + 50] -238 
© -2 931 410 | 25575 | 25 77 |+49°8| 9384°75 8°75 | +497 
3 984 13 17 | 25 31°6 | 26.12°8 | +188 934°7 +467 
4; 1002 1410 | 26 44°8 9°2 | -24°4 |) 1001°25 | + -75 | +366 
5 1617 2-4 | 2958°6 | + 3:8} 1101:00 126 
6 202 18 14 | 82 25°5 | 32 51°4 | -25°9| 1200°75 | 41:25 | +622 
7 | 1366 22 17.| 87 47°9 | 87 32°0 | 415 13 -1°00 | -621 
8 533 24 14 | 4111°7 | 42 17°8 | -66 15332. -— 25) - 
9 602 2710 | 44189 | 4415-9 | + 8-0] 1599-75 | +2:°95 | -881 
10 698 | Noy. 17 720°6 | 47 O-1 | +20-5| 1699°50 | -1:50] -—269 
1 799 12 0 16 | 4962-9 | + 87) 17 — 25 | -146 
12 | 18382 12 50 49°0 | 50 49-4 | - 0-4 832°50 “501 + 37 
18 | 18838 12 22 | 50 49°5 | 50 51:1 | — 1:6 50 | + 601 +316 
4, The mean motion along the ecliptic of the node of the orbit o 
the group.—The mean longitudes of the node are approximately 
represented by the numbers in the fifth column. Hence, the 
coefficient 1-711, by which these numbers were obtained, repre- 
sents the annual procession of the node along the ecliptic, longi- 
tude being reckoned from the mean equinox. e remainders 
in the sixth column represent the distances of the earth from 
the mean positions of the node at the times represented in the 
second and third columns. These may be changed into time by 
allowing 25 for each hour. Errors of the assumed historic 
tes a of course included in pani romanlcts. a 
5. The length of the part of a cycle during which showers may 
be oe he ee in the eighth column of the table 
show that the display in A. D. 1366 was one year before the be- 
ginning of the cycle, as above determined, while that of A. D. 
1202 was a year and a quarter after it. Both were extraordinary 
showers. Hence the length of that part of the cycle during 
which extraordinary displays may occur, is at least 2°25 years. 
The minor displays, Nos. 2, 9, and 10, indicate that unusual 
numbers of shooting stars, sufficient to attract attention, may 
seen through a period of five or six years, at least. 
6. Does a ring around the sun, of UNIFORM density through its 
curcuit, properly represent the shape of the group ?—I think not. It 
1S not absurd to suppose that the earth passes very near to a ring 
of bodies, and that by the action of the planets and moon on 
the earth and the ring, we are sometimes thrown into it, and 
sometimes pass by without meeting it. Let us see whether this 
1s probable. 
_ if the 3 planetary and lunar perturbations of the earth’s radius 
vector were at the time of the showers always very large, and of 
the same sign, it would suggest the existence of a ring passing 
at the pelle tia outside, or just inside, of the earth’s orbit. But 
