Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-05-07
THE METEOR OF SATURDAY NIGHT.
roR THE NATIONAL INrELIIaENcgn.

FOR THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENcgR.
Messrs. EDIToRs The writer Of this was fortunate
enough 70 catch glimpse 81 the great meteor of Satur
Ivy night though he ii from the surprise
pr0aucer y the sudden blaze ~ t aroual him till the
meteor had near Il. course when On looking up
the bright train seen, but mostly concealed by
building which he was standing. This, allowing
two minutes lost in fixing the position Of the train and in
getting to light look at my watch, at twenty
minutes past ten The southern portion or beginning
of the train was all that could be observed particularly
and that passed about 10 30 Of the Benetnasch
Struck with the brightness of the train and the
it began almost Immediately to assume, continued to
watch its notions II took eastery course, inslinng
the NORTH but with unequal velocity, until in few
minutes it formed the angle mentioned in this morning.
Inteligencer and then passed gradually into more diff
fused light in the region Of the angle the latter becoming
oblteated This continued visible for about seventeen
minutes after the appearance Of the meteor, or till
81 minutes past TO- during which time 1t had moved
space of about twenty degrees of arc in the
direction above named, or on line few degrees south
of line drawn to the star Lyra.
The notice in this mornings Inteigencer states that
there no explosion any audible noise during It's
flight" While watching the motion of the train my at-
tention arrested 10h 25min) by slight report,
which might be compared with the barely audible expo-
sion of distant rocket There is question to the
occurrence of the sound, but whether il from the
meteor from object in the streets may remain a
question: unless observation should pc c0nnfmed Dy
others The interval of five minutes between the appear
of the and the sound would indicate dis
lance of sxy-odd miles the point where the explosion
took place. which is in accordance with the great heights
at which meteors known generally make their APP
pearance.
1t is interesting question whether the observed mo-
ton Of the luminous train due to rapid easterly
in the extreme upper regions of the atmosphere
to the matter of which the train is composed falling
towards the earth, to both causes combined This
question need not remain of speculation merely
if corresponding observations Of the motions of the um
matter could be procured from several stations at
distances Of thirty, forty, fifty miles, or The
real path described by through the atmosphere would
then become subject Of actual calculation and might
throw light upon the nature of the luminous matter
according its motions were found to be more or less
controlled by the currents of the upper atmosphere
by its gravity. And if controlled in consider
able degree by the former it would also give nforma
ton of the velocity and direction of the currents in
region of the atmosphere inaccessible bany other known
1t is to be hoped, therefore, that distant
observers may have avaled themselves Of this OPP
portunity for class of observations capable Of yielding
results instructive, and that in due time such observa
tons may be communicated the Smithsonian Institution
WASHINGTON May 8, 1858. O. 0. A.