H. A. Newton on the Meteor of November, 1859. 189 
The third says it apparently descended to the ground a little 
north of the point of its first appearance. 
The computed trajectory would be seen at Washington in- 
clined 9° 8U’ to the vertical circle. 
Mr. Nickerson, four miles west of Dover, says the column of 
smoke was nearly or quite vertical. 
Mrs. Cowgill, six or seven miles west of Dover, says that if 
it varied at all from the vertical, it disappeared to the north of 
the point where it was first seen. 
The inclinations at these two places of the computed trajec- 
tory, and the vertical, are 7° and 64° respectively. 
A line but little inclined to the vertical would be easily con- 
sidered strictly vertical. But one would not readily mistake the 
direction of inclination, For my present purpose, moreover, an 
error of several degrees in the inclination at Alexandria would 
be of little importance. 3 
The length of the visible track of the meteor is the next thing 
tobe computed. Judge Boardinan is confident that he saw it as 
far east as the line of Church street. It was probably visible 
sometime before he saw it. If S. 29° W. be assumed as the dt- 
rection in which it was first seen we have a visible are of about 
12°, corresponding on the real line of the meteor to a distance 
of 36, or more exactly 35°91 miles, The motion was nearly at 
tight angles to the line of vision. One extremity of this line was 
in N, lat, 39° 13’ 88", W. long. 74° 24’ at an altitude of 494 
miles. The other extremity was in N, lat. 39° 13’ 16", and 
W. long. 74° 49’ 40”, at an altitude of about 22 miles. After 
the meteor disappeared to Judge Boardman, it must have passed 
several miles before it exploded and vanished. Many accounts 
agree in this, that it disappeared above the horizon. Some say 
it burst into fragments, each leaving behind a train of light. 
Make it explo a little less than 2°, as seen 
rom New oad Tt ear 5° to the 12° of the visible are 
and about 14 miles to the track of the meteor, making it In all, 
about 50 miles long from the point assumed, as that first seen by 
Judge Boardman. : 
Prof. Loomis, from the reports of several persons who saw the 
