APPENDIX. I. METEORS DOUBLY OBSERVED. (1.) 1865, September 24th, 7h 8m 45° P.M., G. M. T. The meteor observed at Greenwich, Ramsgate, and Hawkhurst (see Catalogue), commenced its course sixty-seven miles above the coast of France, in the zenith of a place in N. lat. 49° 57', E. long. 2° 12', and disappeared thirty-eight miles above the English Channel, in N. lat. 50° 26', E. long. 0° 23'. Path ninety-one miles in four seconds, directed from a point in R. A. 2o, N. Decl. 2°, near the first point of Aries. Velocity twenty-three miles per second. The meteor is a good example, triply observed, of the group of meteors directed from the radiant in Pisces or Cetus, described in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society for December 9th, 1864. (2.) 1865, September 24th, 8h 30m P.M., G. M. T. The meteor observed at Greenwich and at Manchester, at Frome in Devonshire, and at Winchfield in Hants, commenced its course thirty-four miles in the zenith of a place seven miles cast of Bath, and disappeared thirty miles above a point four miles south of Gloucester. The The course of the meteor, prolonged onwards, would nearly touch Manchester, where it was seen to descend with a slight inclination, and a short course in the S.S.W. This observation necessitates a small correction. course appears actually to have been from thirty-eight miles over Bath to twenty-seven miles over Gloucester. Velocity twenty-four miles per second. Path thirty-six miles in 14 second, directed from some part of the constellation Capricornus, not far from a point in right ascension 20", south declination 30°, described by Dr. Neumayer, at Melbourne, as a point of the highest interest, and deserving particular attention with the view of determining further points of radiation. (3.) 1865, September 26th, 8h 55m P.M., G. M. T. The meteor observed at Thirsk, in Yorkshire, and at Hawkhurst, commenced its course about 107 miles above a part of the North Sea, in N. lat. 54° 55', E. long. 2° 43', and disappeared seventy-six miles above the neighbourhood of Sheffield. Path 200 miles in 3 seconds. Velocity fifty-seven miles per second. Direction from a point near Auriga, in right ascension 69°, north declination 25°. This meteor is one of a group of meteors directed from a radiant in Auriga, described in the last-mentioned Number of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. It appears from this No., and from No. 1 of this Appendix, that the velocity of the meteors from Auriga is nearly three times as great as that of the meteors directed from Cetus or Pisces. (4.) 1865, September 26th, 9h 21m P.M., G. M. T. Notes of the meteor, seen by Mr. Harding, of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, on the evening of the 26th of September last, were received, first, from Eastbourne, and second, from Weston-super-Mare, in Somersetshire. Over the latter county it appears to have attained its greatest brilliancy; but at what altitude above the earth can only be roughly estimated from the observation at Eastbourne, compared with that near Greenwich. The height indicated is from about fifty to about thirty miles above the surface of the earth. The radiant-point, or direction of its flight, was from about the position of Polaris, a region from which a wide group of meteors take their course in a remarkably definite manner during the month of August, and more especially in September. (5.) 1865, November 13th, 5h 42m P.M., G. M. T. The following account of the meteor is communicated by Mr. T. Crumplen. "When first seen, it had the appearance of a star of the 3rd magnitude, rapidly increasing in splendour until its maximnm light was at least equal to three times that of the planet Venus. Numerous sparks were thrown off as it passed along, the nucleus exploding just before it disappeared. Its flight was certainly retarded during its passage; it was visible over a large area, observations having reached me from places as widely separated as Boulogne and Market-Drayton. "From these I conclude that the meteor was first seen about eighty miles in the zenith of a place midway between Aylesbury and Stoney Stratford, moving in a W.S.W. direction, passing south of Cirencester and just north of Cleveland, ending about the same height over Hartley Quay-a path of some 165 miles in 24 seconds. The velocity is certainly very great-sixty-six miles per second; but I am convinced that it was not less. This will serve for a sufficient indication of the height of these meteors, which we must consider to be part of the great November zone." The height and velocity are both above the average. It should be borne in mind that small errors of observation may sometimes lead to exaggerated estimates, both of the height and velocity of a meteor's flight. (6.) 1865, November 18th, 4h 30m P.M. The appearance of the meteor seen in twilight by Mr. F. C. Penrose at Wimbledon, is also announced from Cambridge (see Catalogue) among the list of meteor-observations for November, communicated by Mr. T. Crumplen. Particulars of the apparent path of this meteor at other places, if they can still be obtained, would lead to determining its real height and velocity, and of what meteoric shower the fireball formed a part. (7.) 1865, November 21st, 6h 5m P.M., G. M. T. The eastern coast of England is for the third time visited by a detonating meteor of large size, within a day before or after the date of the 20th November (v. Report, 1865, p. 121). For the means of ascertaining its direct distance from the earth, the path that it pursued, its velocity, &c., the Committee are mainly indebted to the accounts collected from distant places by Mr. Warren De la Rue, by whom the meteor was observed near Cranford. It was also seen, and the position of its point of disappearance was noted by Mr. F. C. Penrose, F.R.A.S., at Wimbledon. A loud report like that of a cannon followed its disappearance, at an interval of 2 minutes and 20 seconds. The meteor was observed by the Assistant at the Observatory of Cambridge, Mr. H. C. Todd, and at Oxford and at Liverpool, as well as at other places more near to the seat of the explosion, which was over the Thames valley. The meteor traversed the entire length of the valley of the Thames, a distance of about seventy-five miles, from the Nore (height about forty-one miles) to Henley-on-Thames (height twenty-seven miles) in 6 seconds, at a velocity, therefore, of about eleven and a half miles per second. Sound, with its ordinary velocity in common air, would take 2 minutes 50 seconds to traverse the distance from the latter point to the station where Mr. Penrose observed the meteor at Wimbledon. The direction of the meteor was from a point in the neighbourhood of the constellation Taurus, between Taurus and the head of Cetus. The meteor of the 19th November, 1861 (v. Report 1862, p. 79), as seen at Woodford, at first appeared stationary for two seconds at a point in Cetus. The epoch of the 19th-21st November accordingly deserves attention, partly as one for which the direction of the detonating meteors has been ascertained, and partly because their frequent returns within very narrow limits of time about that date makes it probable that, like the meteors of the 10th of August and 13th of November, they exist as a group of bodies revolving in a fixed orbit round the sun. (8.) 1866, January 6th, 9h 59m P.M., G. M. T. The meteor seen and recorded at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, approaches nearly in time and general description to that recorded at Sunderland and at Wisbeach. It is, however, distinct; and the radiant-region L H roughly represents the general direction of the two meteors, which was from between Leo Minor and the Head of Leo. (9.) 1866, January 11th, 9h 55m P.M., Greenwich time. A meteor of very extraordinary length of path, generally observed in England. Referred to the stars at Bedford, and at Hay (S. Wales), the visible path appears to have been either truly horizontal, or otherwise slightly inclined a little upwards, the meteor performing its transit at a height of eighty-five to ninety-five miles above the earth. The direction of flight was from E.S.E. to W.N.W., on a direct line from Paris to Cork, but probably extending beyond the limits of either of those places at the beginning and end of its luminous track. Assuming the distance of the meteor from Ticchurst to have been only fifty miles (instead of ninety, as inferred from the other observations), the altitudes (as measured at Ticehurst) of 15° at first appearance in the east, and 10° at disappearance in the west, give not less than 450 miles as the length of the meteor's course. Half as long again as this, or nearly 700 miles, would not be an exaggerated statement of the extravagant length of path of this, certainly, very remarkable meteor. It may be compared in this respect to the meteor of 1758, described by Pringle, and to the meteor of the 18th of August, 1783. The meteor observed at the Greenwich Observatory about the same time, or two minutes earlier, is distinct, and crosses the path of the other at an angle. Both meteors were directed from a radiant region LH, near the confines of Leo and Hydra. (10.) 1866, June 20th, 10h 45m A.M., Greenwich time (see Appendix II. 6). Notwithstanding this great aërolitic meteor appeared by day and in bright sunshine, exact observations of its apparent path were obtained at Ticehurst by the schoolmaster of the village, Mr. R. Covington, and at Boulogne, by Mr. F. Galton, the Secretary of the Royal Geographical Society. Instrumental measurements at those places show that the meteor first came into sight at a distance of fifteen miles above the town of Calais, and that when it disappeared near Boulogne (about midway between that town and the town of Montreuil, in Somme) its distance from the earth was only four and a half miles. The following statement which appeared in a daily journal, if correct, shows the violence of the shock which was felt at Boulogne. "The vibration caused by the explosion at that place was so great that an ill-constructed scaffolding fell to the ground, and one man at work upon the scaffolding was killed, and another seriously injured by the fall." Although the meteor was of unusual dimensions, no meteorites are reported to have been found. II. LARGE METEORS. (1.) 1768, December 23rd, 7h A.M. (local time). A very clear description of the phenomenon attending the fall of a meteorite appears in the account of Cook's Voyage round the World, published under the title of "A Voyage round the World in His Majesty's Ship Endeavour, in the years 1768-71 (London, 1771)." Professor Miller, of Cambridge, who communicates the extract, accompanies it with the remark that "the passage must have escaped the notice of Mr. Greg, and of all other meteor historiographers." Page 25, for Date and Place." Thursday, Dec. 8, 1768, having proeured all necessary supplies, we left Rio Janeiro, etc." 66 Page 26, December 23rd we observed an eclipse of the moon; and about 7 o'clock in the morning a small white cloud appeared in the west, from which a train of fire issued, extending itself westerly about two minutes after we heard two distinct loud explosions, immediately succeeding each other like cannon, after which the cloud soon disappeared.' : (2.) 1861, March 4th, 9h 38m 30 A.M., Melbourne mean time. (Results of Meteorol. Observations in Victoria, S. Australia, 1858-62, by Dr. G. Neumayer; p. 141.) A large meteor in bright daytime, seen in nearly the whole S.E. part of Australia. The meteor was seen at sea, on board of the Constance,' thirty miles S.W. of the Otway. From the measurements of Captain Sörderbergh, and from various observations made throughout the country, Dr. Neumayer adduces the following facts relative to the occurrence : miles. Height of the meteor above the earth when first seen 54.6 Distance from Colar when first seen Distance from Colar when bursting Diameter 0.18 mile, or 1190 feet. .. . 10.0 77.2 73.0 No mention is made by Dr. Neumayer of any detonation having been heard. (3.) 1865, December 7th, 7h 20m P.M., G. M. T. (Paris Observatory Bulletins, Jan. 5th and 6th, 1866.) A fireball exploded at a height of thirty-eight miles over the mouth of the Loire with a report likened to that of a cannon fired off at a distance of a few miles (at Vannes), and to a slight shock of an earthquake at La Roche-Bernard. The meteor was visible over an extent of the coast from Brest to Bordeaux, whence M. Gruey obtains from observations the following approximate elements of its path. The meteor proceeded, from a point about fifty-five miles above the sea at Quimper, descending at an inclination of about 15° from horizontal towards the E.S.E., a distance of eighty miles in 15 or 20 seconds, to the point of its explosion, thirty-five miles above the mouth of the Loire. Velocity not less than ten miles per second. The diameter is reckoned by M. Gruey at 180 yards, but it is added that the effect of irradiation would be to considerably diminish this amount. No meteorites were discovered, although the explosion was considerable, and the size and the luminosity of the fireball were quite unusual. *The punctuation is strictly given as in the original. The passage is also found in Barrow's small edition of Cook's Voyages. A. and C. Black, Edinb., 1860, p. 19. (4.) 1865, December 9th, 8h 30m P.M. (local time). At Charleston, South Carolina, U. S., the sky being overcast and a slight rain falling, but unattended by thunder or lightning, a brilliant and strong light was for a moment perceived. A sentinel walking his rounds was enabled by the light to detect a boat with two persons leaving the fort, and by levelling his piece to oblige it to return. Half a minute or a minute afterwards, an explosion, and a loud jarring sound were heard; the fireball itself, if such was the nature of the phenomenon, was hidden by clouds. (5.)* 1866, March 11th, 0h 20m A.M. local time: (March 10th, 11h 50m P.M., G. M. T.) A yellow or reddish fireball, half the apparent size of the full moon, followed by a broad train of dull red colour, exploded into fragments near Lübbecke (forty miles east from Münster) with a report loud enough to be plainly heard at Münster. People at Lübbecke were awakened from their sleep; the report was likened to a discharge of artillery followed by that of musketry, and by a rushing sound like the arrival of a railway train. The light was sufficient to have counted money: the meteor, as drawn by Professor Heis upon a map, was visible in the surrounding districts of Lübbecke, Westphalia, and Hanover. It commenced its course at a height of thirteen miles (British) above Miete, terminating at three-and-a-half miles (British) over Oldendorf in Lübbecke. Path, thirty miles in four to five seconds, directed from azimuth W. from S. 50°, altitude 20°; velocity seven miles per second. At Lübbecke the report succeeded its disappearance in little more than a quarter of a minute. No meteorite in the neighbourhood is reported to have fallen. (6.) 1866, June 20th, 10h 45m A.M., G. M. T. 1. As observed at Penshurst. Dear Sir,-In case you should not have seen the great meteor of 10h 45m A.M., June 20th 1866, I send you a rude sketch of the appearance as seen by The Great Meteor, as seen from Penshurst, 10h 45m A.M., June 20, 1866. *A Pamphlet by Prof. Heis, with map of meteor's course (8vo. Halle, 1866, H. W. Schmidt). |