The station at Ivica seems to combine all the advantages offered by the peak of Teneriffe. Here especial attention should be given to the form and prolongations of the aureola, the nature and intensity of its light, and also to the zodiacal light, which is now made to play so important a part in the solar system. Careful search should also be made for the small planets near the sun, suspected by M. LeVerrier. Perhaps, moreover, it may be possible to notice clearly the motion of the cone of the lunar shadow, the lower base of which should traverse the surface of the sea at the rate of 900 metres per second, while the upper terminus, if visible, will show by its distance from the zenith the height of the upper strata of our atmosphere. 3. Notice of the Meteor of Nov. 15, 1859; by Prof. E. LOOMIS.—On the morning of Nov. 15th, about 9 o'clock, a remarkable meteor was witnessed by a large number of persons in New York and its vicinity. The meteor was so brilliant that although the sun was unclouded and had an elevation of about twenty degrees above the horizon, the flash attracted the attention of well nigh every person who happened at that time to be looking nearly toward that part of the heavens. The apparent diameter of its head was somewhat less than that of the sun, and it had an appendage like the tail of a comet several degrees in length. Its apparent path was nearly vertical, with a slight inclination towards the west; and the length of its visible path was variously estimated from 15° to 25°. The entire period of its visibility did not exceed one or two seconds. No sound was heard at New York which could reasonably be ascribed to the meteor. By taking the mean of the estimates of several observers, I have determined that the point of the horizon where the meteor vanished was about 21° west of south. From the newspaper reports we learn that the same meteor was seen at Salem, Boston, and New Bedford, Mass., at Providence, R. I., at New Haven, Middletown, and Waterbury, Conn., at Albany and many other places in New York, at numerous places in New Jersey, at Baltimore, Md., at Washington and Georgetown, D. C., as also at Alexandria and Fredericsburg, Va. At all of those places the meteor appears to have been seen at the same instant of absolute time; and at all the stations north of New York the appearance was almost identical, and the direction of the meteor was somewhat west of south. From a newspaper notice coming from Prof. Henry of the Smithsonian Institution, we learn that at Washington the apparent path of the meteor was nearly perpendicular to the horizon, and its point of disappearance was estimated to be four degrees north of east. Those lines of direction as observed at New York and Washington intersect at a point a little north of Cape May; and inasmuch as at each of those stations the apparent path was nearly vertical, the actual path must also have been nearly vertical, and the meteor undoubtedly struck the earth at some point not very remote from Cape May. This conclusion is confirmed by the reports of the meteor from New Jersey. The meteor was generally observed throughout the southern part of that State, and was everywhere succeeded by a very remarkable explosion. At Beeseley's Point, situated on the Atlantic Ocean near lat. 39° 20', the course of the meteor is said to have been from northeast to SECOND SERIES, VOL. XXIX, No. 85.-JAN., 1860. southwest. It was attended by a sudden flash of light, and left behind a curling track of a smoky or light cloudy appearance, which soon vanished. About a minute after the flash, there was heard a series of terrific explosions, which were compared to the discharge of a thousand cannon. These explosions continued for one or two minutes; they were very sharp and distinct, and shook the windows and doors of the houses. Similar noises have been reported from numerous stations in the southeastern part of New Jersey. These noises occasioned considerable alarm, and by some were thought to have been produced by an earthquake. From the preceding facts it seems almost certain that the meteor must have struck the earth at some point a little north of Cape May; and as it was unquestionably a body of considerable size and of great density, if it struck on dry ground the meteor ought to have been discovered. As we have received no account of such a discovery there is reason to apprehend that the meteor may have descended into water, and probably into Delaware Bay. Analogy would lead us to conclude that this belonged to the class of iron meteors of which we have numerous specimens in our cabinets. The velocity of this meteor was very extraordinary. It probably struck the earth at a distance of 110 miles from Washington, and is said to have been first seen at an elevation of 45°. This would make the length of its visible path 110 miles, and it is said to have described this path in two seconds, giving a velocity of 55 miles per second. A small portion of this velocity (7 miles per second) may be ascribed to the earth's attraction, and another portion was due to the motion of the earth in its orbit, for the earth was moving obliquely towards the meteor; but there still remains an independent velocity nearly double the velocity of the earth in its orbit. The path of the meteor in space could not therefore have been a circle with the sun for its center, as the above velocity is too great for any ellipse or even parabola; but such conclusions must be received with caution on account of the imperfection of the observations, for if we suppose the time of describing this path was three seconds, the independent velocity of the meteor would not have been much greater than that of the earth in its orbit. 4. Meteoric Explosion, in West Tennessee, Sept. 1st, 1859; by Prof. B. W. McDONNOLD, of Bethel College. The first of September was made memorable by the great Aurora. Here, that day of the calendar had another creta nota—a meteoric explosion. This explosion was heard at Bethel College about 10 o'clock, A. M., and was at first thought to be the firing of cannon in honor of a political election. The first report was double, like the almost simultaneous explosion of two great rockets, The reverberations were protracted, deep, distant. After the lapse of perhaps a half minute another explosion was heard, louder, deeper than the former, and the reverberations more protracted. The bearing of the sound was N. E. I find that the report was heard forty miles north of us, where it was supposed to bear South East; it was heard twelve miles south and west, bearing same as here; but farther south and west it was not heard at all. As yet, I have heard of no fragments of the meteor being found. I feel satisfied myself, however, of the meteoric origin of the explosion. 5. Catalogue of the Meteorites in the Imperial Austrian Collection at Vienna; by Prof. W. HAIDINGER.-Haidinger has communicated to the Austrian Academy of Sciences a complete list of the meteorites contained in the Imperial Collection at Vienna. It is an abstract from the complete catalogue made by the late Prof. Partsch and continued by Dr. Hoernes, the present director of the Imperial Cabinet. In the list which here follows-only the names of the localities and the time of falling (I) are given, or (II) in case of meteorites the time of falling of which is unknown they are classified according to the date when first described. The letter I following the year indicates the specimens to be meteoric iron. A. D. I. Meteorites, with time of fall. Nov. 7, 1. 1492, 2. 1715, April 11, 3. 1751, I. May 26, Ensisheim, Alsace, Département du Haut-Rhin, Garz (Schellin), near Stargard, Prussia. Tabar (Plan, Strkow), Bohemia. Liponas, near Pont de Verle and Bourg en Lucé en Maine, Dép. de la Sarthe, France. Sigena (Sena village), Aragon, Spain. Russia. 11. 1790, July 24, Barbotan (Roquefort, Créon, Juillac, Mezin, Agen, &c.), Dép. des Landes, Dép. du Gers, Dép. du Lot et Garonne, formerly Sienna, Tuscany. Wold Cottage, Yorkshire, England. March 8-12, Salès, near Villefranche, Dép. du Rhône, April 26, 12. 1794, June 16, 13. 1795, Dec. 13, 14. 1798, 15. 1798, 16. 1803, 17. 1803, 18. 1803. Dec. 13, France. 33. 1811, 34. 1812, 35. 1812, July 8, April 10, Aug. 5, March 12, Kuleschowka, Gov. Poltawa, Russia. 36. 1812, 38. 1813, 39. 1814, 40. 1814, 41. 1815, Dec. 13, Toulouse, Dép. de la Haute-Garonne, France. Chantonnay, between Nantes and La Rochelle, Limerick (Adair, Scagh, Brasky, Faha), Lim- Lontalar (Lontalaks), Gov. Wiborg, Finland. 42. 1818, April 10, Zaborzika (Saboryzy, Saboritz on the Slutsch), Volhynia, Russia. Seres, Macedonia, Turkey. Slobodka, Iuchnow, Gov. Smolensk, Russia. Politz, near Gera, Duchy of Reuss. Lixna (Liksen), Lasdany, Gov. Witebsk, Juvenas, near Libonnez, Dép. de l'Ardèche, Epinal (la Baffe), Dép. des Vosges, France. Renazzo, in Ferrara, Papal States. Zebrak (Praskoles), near Horzowitz, Beraun, Government Jekaterinoslaw, Russia. Nanjemoy, Maryland. Honolulu, Sandwich Islands. Nashville (Drake Creek), Tennessee. Bialystok (Kuasta or Kuasti village), Russian Richmond, Virginia. Forsyth, Monroe County, Georgia. Vouillé, near Poitiers, Dép. de la Vienne, Wessely (Dorf Znorow), Moravia. Blansko, Bruenn, Moravia. Okniny (Okaninah), Kremenetz District, Gov. Simonod (Samonot), Belmont, Dép. de l'Ain, Macao, Prov. Rio Grande de Norte, Brazil. Capeland (Bokkeveld, 15 miles from Tulpagh), Feb. 13, Little Piney, west of Potosi, Missouri, lat. 37° 65. 1835, Nov. 13, 66. 1836, 67. 1837, 68. 1837, 69. 1838, 70. 1838, Nov. 11, July 24, June 6, 71. 1839, 72. 1840, July 17, 73. 1841, 74. 1841, March 22, Milena (Milyan), Pusinsko Selo, 4 miles S. of Milena, Croatia. Aumières, Canton St. George, Dép. de la Lozère, France. Bishopville, South Carolina. Utrecht, Blaauw Kapel, Loewenhutye, Neth- Klein- Wenden, near Nordhausen, Prussia. Iowa, Linn County, Iowa. Braunau (Hauptmannsdorf), Koeniggraetz, Cabarras County, North Carolina. Guetersloh, Westphalia. Mezö-Madaras (and Fekete), Transylvania. Bremervoerde, Landdrostei Stade, Hanover. gary. Kakova, N. W. of Oravitza, Temesvar Banat. II. Meteorites, with time of discovery. Steinbach, between Eibenstock and Johann-Georgen- Senegal, Siratik in Bambuk, Africa. Tucuman (Otumpa), Argentine Republic, S. America. Cape of Good Hope, Africa. Elbogen, Bohemia. |