The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1868-11-19
METE0RIC.
The Shower as Seen at Different
Points.
WASHINGTON, November ii.


Commodore Sands. Superintendent of the
Naval Observatory, in regard to the recent
meteoric shower, received at the Navy
Department this afternoon.
U. S. NAVAL OBSERVATORY,
WASHINGTON, November IA.
SIR have the honor to submit the
following preliminary report of the metcoric
shower this morning:
During the evening Of the 18th instant
there were no great number Of meteors to
be seen, until about eleven o'clock P. NJ.
when there seemed to be an increase in
numbers and brilliancy, though not
sufficient to indicate the beginning of a
shower. At midnight the number had
considerably increased, and the prevalence
of the trains was gradually noticed. AT
thirteen minutes past midnight, the
observing party, consisting of Professor
Eastman and Messrs. Hays and Frsbie,
began to count the meteors and to observe
the tracks Of the principal ones that
appeared in that portion of the heavens,
covered by the star chart, constructed at
the Observatory in 1867. At thirty-fve
minutes past one o'clock A: NJ, three
hundred metcors had been counted most
Of them being quite brilliant, and nearly
all of them leaving green blue or red
train. Thus far the display had not been
confined to any portion of the sky, but
most of them were In the northern and
southern heavens, and were scarcely in
position to be placed on the star chart.
Many trains were visible several minutes,
and lasted ten minutes, and traces Of one
near Ursa Minor were seen thirty minutes
after the appearance of the meteor After
one hour and fifty minutes, Prof Eastman,
assisted bv Mr. Harrison, durated his time
to mapping and noting the time Of
appartion of the principal meteors, and
succeeded in sketching tracks of about
ninety during one hour and forty-threc
minutes. Four hundred has been counted,
and afterwards the successive hundreds
were observed in the following intervals
The intervals are here given by Commodore
Sands.
The observations were continued till
after six o'clock in the morning, at which
time these had been counted FIVE thousand
and seventy eight, in FIVE hours and
twenty minutes.
Professor Nonnes and son joined the
party Of observance and assisted in
counting meteors in the western heavens
During the whole display, there were
many meteors in the east From four to
five o'clock the number were about equal
in the east and west The time Of
maximum frequency was about five hours,
when they fell at the rate of about two
hundred and fifty per hour, the radiant
point was quite well defined during the
latter part of the shower, and found by
estimation to be about 149 degrees in
right ascension, and % minutes and 80
seconds in declination. The trains were
remarkably brilliant, presenting the
various green, orange, blue, red, and
remained visible for an unusual time.
Frequently as many as FIVE could be seen
at once, presenting an appearance, when
nearly dissipated, of light heecy clouds
The shower commenced several hours
before it was expected, as it was predicted
last year that it would be seen in 1868, in
the Pacific Ocean only.
A number of star charts were distributed
/: few days ago to the various observatories
and the scientific men Of the country, and
lit is believed that many valuable
observations have been made. which we
shall soon learn.
| Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
B. T. SAN DIS,
Commodore and Superintendent.
LOUISVILLE, November IA.
The meteoric shower occurred this
morning at three o'clock. and lasted till
half past six. The display was one of the
finest ever seen, exceeding at times that of
1882 The whole heavens appeared to be
traversed by the meteors, especially the
northwestern portion. Many of them
E we're very brilliant. Occasionally one
would explode, lighting up the heavens
with an intense light
SAN FRANCISCO, November IA.
There was an extraordinary meteor
E shower last night, commencing about half
past ten o'clock in the evening, and lasting
till an early hour this morning The
display rivalIed in splcndor that Of
November Ia, 1867. Several meteors lef!
traces of light distiuguishable many
seconds The general direction appeared
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