Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1866-11-22
METEORIC SHOWERS.

METEoRIC SHOWERS.
The great meteoric shower which was
expected to cone off on the night of the
18th and didn't, had the effect of calling
out quite a number of philosophic star
gazers. We clip from exchanges some
accounts of the results of the night-watch.
ing in various localities.
The following is an account of the OBJ
servatous made at the United States Naval
Observatory in this city on Monday night
and Tuesday morning:
At the Washington Observatory the reg
ular observations commenced at eleven P.
NJ, and continued until half past four this
morning. At first the meteors were small,
and very few in number; but as the night
progressed they gradually increased, and
by three o'clock quite shower had set in,
the meteors coming at the rate of about
three in one minute, and, as the average
fall is but eighty per hour, it will be seen
that this was more than an ordinary shower.
At first, contrary to the prediction, the me.
teors radiateG from the constellation Orion,
but as they got more numerous by far the
greater number radiated from Leo, which
was according to previous calculation.
Several large meteors were observed, and
the time of their appearance carefully re.
corded by Professor Ferguson and Professor
Eastman, who had charge of the chrouo.
meter which was kept in the dome. The
division of the heavens was such that there
was no chance of duplication in the meteors
observed, and it is far more likely that the
number is under-estimated than otherwise.
The number of meteors observed was 4O7,
being at the rate of eighty per hour, which
is ten times the number seen on an ordina-
ry night.
The people of New York, says the Her.
aid of the 14th were wide awake last night,
waiting, in impatient c1uads and knots, for
the promised exhibition of meteoric pyro
technics, but the performance had not taken
place up to three o'clock, when we went to
press. Groups we're to be seen on the
bousetops and in the streets with telescopes
and opera glasses to obtain nearer view Of
the phenomenon, and we're sadly disappoiut.
ed as the hours passed without the exhibi.
ton. A few stars fled from their appointed
places in the armament, and most of them
presented blush tiuge, but there was
nothing like the expected grand display.
TROY, November 14-2 A. M.-At
lf-past seven o'clock last evening me-
teor of most brilliant appearance and about
the size of a twenty-pound shot came d.
rectly from the constellation of Orion, and
travelled westwardly until its disappearance.
Its fight was accompanied by coruscations
that absolutely glittered along its entire
length.
During the evening, up to half-past
twelve o'clock, seven of these meteors,
mostly from the constellation Orion, passed
in southerly direction. These were all of
the first magnitude, and traVersed south,
with long trails.
At quarter to one o'clock very large
and brilliant meteor, accompanied with q
phosphorescent light, appeared at the end
of the Sickle and instantly passed north,
marked with all the colors of the rainbow.
New HAVEN, November l3.-Last night
a party of from twelve to eighteen obser.
vers, under the direction of Professor New
ton, counted from the tower of Alumni
Hall six hundred and ninety six shooting
stars in FIVE hours and twenty minutes. At
twelve o'clock they caua at the rate of
about eighty to the hour, increasing to one
hundred and eighty the last hour before
dawn; average for the whole time, one hun
dred and thirty to the hour. Not more than
one.third were coDformable to the radiant
in Leo Another party, observing at Shef-
field Scientific School, obtained results a.
greeing in the main with the above. Sim
liar observations will be kept up tonight.
At Philadelphia, on Tuesday, about four
P. NJ, peculiar light, similar to the tail
of comet, appeared above the eastern hor-
izon, which attracted much attention. 1t
lasted about ten minutes, and then faded
from sight.