Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-08-09
The Meteor.

The meteor which startled so many of our
citizens last Thursday night by its size and
DrlIliancy was observed at Louisville and
Newport, KY, and other points in that lati-
tude. The descriptions of it generally agree
with that given in Saturday 'sPA1RIoT. A gen.
tleman who witnessed it in Bedford county,
says its transit was accompanied with loud
whizzing sound, and reports similar to the
discharge of heavy ordnance. On the whole
it was brief but very interesting visitor.
and appears to have been the complement of
the meteor seen near the same hour on the
night of the goth of July in New York, and
other States in that section of the Union.
Ours appeared in the South and passed to the
Northeast; that of the Goth ofJuly rose in the
Northwest and passed to the Southeast. Will
some one of our scientific readers furnish US
with an account Of ours, and the probable
cause of it, its probable effects, &c.
A correspondent of the New York Tribune,
writing from Ellicottvtlle, gives the annexed
account OF the meteor OF July. 1t describes
ours exactly, except as to the direction it
Travelled
The mete or or Grolite passed here at Oh.
Bonn in the evening, local time; Oh. SON.,
New York time. 1t appeared to rise from
the northwestern horizon at a point n. Cos
w. (magnctic) The variation of the needle
at this place is 323 west, which would make
the true courses: rose n. 1879 W., set S.
1919 E..
1t passed near AliOth, in Ursa Major be-
tween the guards of Ursa Minor, and about
midway between Chi and Zeta, UTsa Minor.
These points would make its greatest atti-
tude above the pole Of the heavens at that
time very nearly ll.7
Latitude OF EIlcotvilie. go. 42deg IG a. 2Gscc.
Meteor above the pole. ....... lldeg
Greatest elevation of meteor 55deg. 16. 2Gsec.
The nucleus or body of the arolite was SIN
gle, and shone with an intense white light
not dazzling, but a most beautiful, clear
white light fully. equal to the full moon.
/ 1t had a trail of blush light behind it.
which, at its greatest elevation, was from 81
10 l29 in length
I When disappearing below the south-eas
ire which one observer compared to loco
move firing up in dark night Another
observer, who had q lower horizon. said that
S 1t was setting it seemed to be falIine m
leces, the pieces of different shapes and ST
rs.
1t bad a steady, equable motion; that is it
semed to move through equal spaces in
eual lines. Very high, light CIRCUS cIouds
La III patches over the sky, above which all
agee the meteor passed. These clouds at |
tines would partially DISTRACT its light and |
2l1H the appearance of dartinq at inter
walls
w length of the time from its risino To |
lts-hing was twenty or thirty seconds.
apparent diameter was about o1e-fb;-5 /
thelameter OF the full moon. Many wonId /
calf more, but none less One man was
Germ that 1t was oblong in shape. and abont |
| thrttimes as long as wide-none called II
eX'Ay round. From minute and half to
twinInutes-more nearly two minutes-af
| telt disappeared, sound was heard like
dtnt cannon. All who heard it comnared
| IL distant cannon, none to thunder
| all who heard it, except one. the sound |
seed to come from the direction in which
theerolite disappeared. One gentleman.
q Csc observer too, said the sound seemed |
to he from the northwest, and consisted
OF reports in snch quick succession that
SON might mistake them for one sound
Ihiiou6ie report was noticed by another.
Ar the meteor had gone, some noticed a
darsstreak lying along the path pur-
suedy the aro!ite, seemingly as wide as
wagttrack, probably "a or A broad. which
aitef few minutes seemed to float away to
the tth-east.