The November Meteor-Shower at Glasgow. 463 



have offered some solution. The want of observations on these 

 points, unavoidably left un-made by the cessation of the shower, 

 a paper by Mr. John Browning, which follows, most opportunely 



URSA MAJOR 



Changes of a Meteor-streak, Nov. 14th, 1866. — 1st, 2h. 42m. A.M. 2nd, 2h. 

 44ni. a.m. 3rd, 2h. 48m. A.M. 4th, 2h. 52m. A.M. Disappeared at 2h. 56m. 

 A.M. Duration, 15m. 



supplies ; and the present November shower may happily not 

 be regarded, from this circumstance, as a most invaluable 

 opportunity of examining the spectra of the meteors totally 

 thrown away. 



A point about midway between 7 and /x Leonis is marked 

 by the projection of the meteor tracks upon a map, in a more 

 distinct and positive manner than could possibly be the mere 

 result of accident. The point so prominently showu is 

 evidently the " vanishing point of straight lines seen in per- 

 spective" ( Olmsted's expression), either parallel to each other 

 or else converging to a point. If the latter were the case, and 

 the bombardment of meteors proceeded from a local centre, of 

 which the precise place could be determined, observers at 

 distant stations would differ among themselves as to the position 

 Of the radiant point, — some placing it north and others south, 

 some east and others west of the average place of its apparent 

 situation, — by the effect of parallax, according to their various 

 geographical positions upon the earth. The frequent appear- 

 ance of stationary meteors at the very place, or centre in some 

 part of the constellation Leo, from which they appear to diverge, 

 arises from their line of motion, in that direction, been seen 

 " end on," or foreshortened by perspective, to a point. Of 

 such meteors not a few were recorded in the map projection 

 (see Plate) of the tracks of eighty-three meteors noted at 

 Glasgow during the time — from lh. 15m. a.m., to 2h. 40m. a.m. 

 — of the greatest intensity of the shower, and one such meteor 

 was observed close to the position of the radiant point obtained 

 from a complete chevaux-de-frise of meteor tracks taken from 



