H. A. Newton — Fireball in the Madonna di Foligno. 235 



but this number is by no means certain, nor is it probably the 

 same for all the forks ; while the determination of its exact 

 amount is doubtless difficult, I believe it will yet be made with 

 fair accuracy. 



Attention is asked to a few corrections noted below. 



ERRATA. 



To vol. xxvi, Sept., 1883, p. 179, line 1, for 2Yh read 2V/,. 



Page 181, equation (12), for p 2 , read p 2 . 



Page 185, line 14, read mean velocity of the end 6f the prong. 



Page 185, line 23, omit the exponent of I. 



Page 187, Table V, column 6, footing, for 2-5, read 1*3 ; column 8, for Sol 4 , read 

 1-26 and 1 33, mean 1 3. 



Page 188, Table VI, column 5, 6, Ut 4 , read 2550 and 1 100 ; Table VI, line Sol 4 , 

 read 1.3; 127; '29; 3680: 1590; 200. 



Page 189, near close, read The smallest value of x to be obtained from 

 Table VI, is (21 x K) 8 cm. for Ut 4 corrected) 9 x 10 8 cm. for Ut 5 ; from Allard's 

 formula for 72 = 1024 we «et 21 x 10 -8 cm. 



Art. XXYII. — The Fireball in Raphael's Madonna di 

 Foligno; by H. A. Newton. 



In a recent Notice from the Lick Observatory* Director 

 Holden called attention to the fireball which Raphael painted 

 in his picture, the Madonna di Foligno. Any facts relating to 

 such a representation in such a picture cannot fail to be of gen- 

 eral interest. 



Among the Italian pictures in the Yale School of Fine 

 Arts is a copy of this painting by Terry, and the copy is of 

 such excellence that it has been hung in a prominent place in 

 a collection consisting otherwise of original Italian works. In 

 the picture the Virgin is in the clouds, and underneath the 

 clouds, is a landscape with buildings. Upon the face of the 

 sky and landscape is a rainbow, so placed as to suggest that the 

 clouds under the Virgin's feet were resting upon the bow. 

 Under the bow is a fireball of a tolerably brilliant red color. 

 It is rounded in front and tapers somewhat behind. Slightly 

 separated from the ball is a long reddish cloud curving back 

 across the sky along the path which the fireball has described. 

 This ball and cloud have sometimes been taken for a bomb and 

 its track. The likeness of the representation to the usual pic- 

 tures of bright fireballs and their trains, and the want of like- 

 ness to a bomb and its train are manifest upon the most casual 

 examination. I feel sure that Raphael did not mean to depict 

 a bombshell. 



The introduction of a rainbow in a painting of the Madonna 

 is not unique, and it may safely be assumed that its use is sym- 



* Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, vol. ii, p. 19. 



