Abstract
A METEOR of unusual brilliance was seen of the “fire-ball” type on Friday night by several correspondents. All agree that the time was about 9.50, the moon at the time being in her second quarter, and about 30° above the horizon in the west-southwest. At Twickenham its observed course was from south-west to north-west passing the azimuth of the moon at the time 69° from south to west, at an altitude of about 14°, its path being nearly parallel to the horizon, or declining very slightly towards its disappearance, which was sudden, at 9h. 52m. 30s. Greenwich mean time. Colour, bright emerald green; apparent diameter, about one-third of that of the moon, this being the greater diameter of the elliptical figure. The light thrown by the meteor in this locality was decidedly green. Mr. Lecky, writing from the Scientific Club, states that the course of the meteor was about 90° below the moon, its motion very: slow, and it became extinguished rather suddenly, without any apparent bursting, when it had passed about the same distance to the north of the moon. The meteor appeared to Mr. Lecky to be about the same size as the moon. Mr. L. J. Whalley saw it from the Brompton Road. Facing west he saw it pass from south to north, its path being inclined downwards at a few degrees to the horizon, and its altitude about 30°. The fore-part appeared rounded in shape, and of a bright green colour (like nickel sulphate), whilst the tail tapered off, and was of a red to a purplish tint.
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THE METEOR . Nature 18, 185–186 (1878). https://doi.org/10.1038/018185a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/018185a0