Notice of a Meteoric Fire Ball. 37 



seconds, three much larger sparks, or luminous fragments, 

 were thrown from the body at the same moment. Two of 

 these were apparently as large as the planet Venus ; the 

 third was still larger. These three were the last pieces, 

 which I saw leave the body. Their paths were at first nearly 

 parallel with that of the meteor, yet beneath it. From this di- 

 rection however, they all deviated constantly and rapidly in 

 parabolic curves, until they seemed falling perpendicularly 

 towards the earth. Each fragment became less and less dis- 

 tinct, until it disappeared. The largest of the three continued 

 visible until it was within about 20 degrees of the horizon. 



11. The meteor itself disappeared as suddenly, as if, in 

 one indivisible moment, it had passed into a medium abso- 

 lutely opaque, or as if, at a given moment, it had left the at- 

 mosphere ; but a few moments afterwards there was a dis- 

 tinct and somewhat extensive illumination over that part of 

 the sky for about a second, as if the light of the departing 

 luminary had been reflected from some unknown surface to 

 the earth. 



12. When the meteor disappeared, it was about 30° above 

 the horizon, and as I judged from the course of the fence, in 

 the direction of N. 45° E., or 25° eastward of the place 

 where I first saw it. I concluded that the direction of its 

 path was probably from W. by S. to E. by N. It was obvi- 

 ously going from me ; its path making an angle with the 

 optic axis of about 60°. 



13. Not less than eight minutes, nor more than ten, 

 after the disappearance of the meteor, there was a report 

 very loud and heavy, accompanied with a very sensible jar. 

 Though mistaken for thunder by those who did not see the 

 meteor, it did not much resemble either thunder or the re- 

 port of a cannon ; but was louder, shorter and sharper than 

 either, and was followed by no perceptible echo. 



14. A friend of mine, who was in Berlin at the time, 

 about 23 miles due N. of New Haven, saw the meteor dis- 

 tinctly, but made no particular observations concerning it. 

 His estimate of it accorded generally with mine, but it ap- 

 peared to him larger, more elevated and somewhat more to 

 the East in its apparent place. — I could not learn that the 

 fragments which fell from it were discovered. 



I am most respectfully 

 Your obedient servant, 



S. E. DWIGHT. 



