Falling Stars and Meteorites. 159 



the subject of meteors. These are, first, the phenomena of light 

 — the falling stars — as seen in the atmosphere; and secondly, 

 the fallen bodies themselves, whether called meteorites, aero- 

 lites, fire-balls, bolitos, or thunderbolts — the fragments of 

 foreign matter now and then seen to fall on the earth from the 

 shy, but more frequently found near the surface, and identified 

 by their peculiar mineral characteristics. 



The meteors are of various kinds, so various that it is 

 almost impossible to bring together within a limited space such 

 an account of different records as shall give even a faint idea of 

 the appearances described by those who have seen them. 

 Limiting ourselves to the remarks of astronomers, and persons 

 fully accustomed to observe and describe what they see, we yet 

 find accounts as strange as if they were dreams of sick men. 



The vast majority of the strange lights seen in the heavens 

 are well described by the expression, Falling or shooting star. 

 Suddenly a star, or what appears a star, shoots rapidly from 

 one point in the heavens to another, or seems to fall downwards 

 towards the earth, and disappear. Of such phenomena, what- 

 ever they are, it is not too much to say that thousands some- 

 times take place within twenty-four hours j that on special occa- 

 sions this number may be multiplied many fold ; that they are 

 common even at all other times, and that, in fact, they are as 

 little exceptional as clouds. It is impossible to identify and 

 measure any particular one, for they are too frequent and too 

 much alike. They are seen from every part of the earth's 

 surface almost every fine night throughout the year, in every 

 quarter of the heavens, and there cannot be the smallest reason 

 for supposing that they do not occur by day as well by night, 

 in foul weather as well as fair. 



Of these ordinary shooting- stars, special observations are 

 made at certain dates, because they are then most numerous 

 and most definite. At such times, as we have seen, they are 

 counted by the hundred, often by hundreds in the hour, in all 

 the principal observatories, and by many private individuals. 

 On such occasions they appear, most of them, but not all, to 

 proceed from near one point in the heavens, and disappear in 

 another. These points are generally the same. 



Of the size of these meteors it is impossible to give any 

 correct idea. It is usual to compare them to the stars, and 

 speak of them as resembling stars of the first to the third 

 magnitude. It seems quite impossible to judge even relatively 

 of their actual dimensions by observations of this kind, even 

 when for any reason it has been possible to estimate their 

 height.* 



* An ingenious and very simple instrument for estimating the altitude of 

 these bodies was described in the Intellectual Obseevek, vol. hi., p. 1G5. 



