H. A. Newton on two Meteoric Fireballs. 343 
larger th 
g moon. Others said large as the moon, large as 
, and two feet in diameter. 
(280); nearly twice as larg th 
(290); large as the moon. 
(310); from one-half to the full size of the moon. 
(385); large as the moon. 
(400); at first large as a star of the Ist mag., but grew in size and 
= brilliancy until the whole western part of the heavens 
"was brilliantly illumi 
(415); each part as large as a butter keg. 
_ This table indicates that an increase of distance does not pro- 
duce any decrease in the assigned size. In fact there is rather 
Opposite tendency. It is useless then to compute the diame- 
f a meteor’s nucleus (or of the flame even, if it is flame that 
see,) by ae its visible diameter with that of a heav- 
ealy body, as the moon. Thus we may get in the present 
stance four miles, or half a mile, according as we use the more 
stant, or the nearer observations. For anything I can see the 
} smaller of these diameters may be a hundred, or even a thousand 
} times greater than that of the nucleus. 
___ Inseveral of the accounts mention is made of a regular, or an 
_ regular increase in the apparent size of the meteor, and that 
when the meteor was not approaching the observer. Such 
4n increase, if true, must be due to increased brilliancy, and 
~~ hence to irradiation, or else to a-larger body of flame. In either 
tase the larger diameter evidently does not belong to the mete- 
onic body. 
: lly Springs, (270); at first not much than Mars, grew to exceed the 
risin 
a 
5. Colors of the body and of the train. 
| Meteors are seen by different and unpracticed obse! 
| Quelei of the meteor of Aug. 2d were said to be, white—pearl 
race 
e red—red—bright —crimson—scarlet — 
ovis me: vag 
6. Brilliancy. 
Tn brilliancy this must be ranked in the first class of meteors. 
Its train was hs many degrees in length. The path of the me- 
. tt did not leave the phere—tfor its pe was downward, 
Inclined more than 10° to the horizon of the place of explo- 
