The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-08-29
METEORiC.

August Mcfcors, 1877, As seen in France.
NJ LeverrIer, member or the French Institute and
President OF the French Scientific Association has
established through that society twenty five tempo
rary observatorles with staff OF competent OBJ
servers properly trained and supplied with special
maps and chronometers. Telegraphc signals were
exchanged between the different stations for the
reduction OF observations. The Observers more
than 200 In number kept regular watch during
the three critical nights 9-lO, 10-l1, 1l-l2 August
INST. Some of the staIlons had the view OF q clear
coad or so e mber %
ers were satisfied with giving the number OF me
teors actually visible; some others re- ected every
! apparluon which had not been recorded ON the
! maps. An Interior discussion Will be worked out
but the following numbers, even in their crude
state, might be considered as bearing general IN.
terest:-Bordeaux has 1862 stars; Chartres $50:
La Guerche 1917; LIE Mans 200; Limoges, 217-all Of
se em had az their paths on the
these 32i were registered on the maps; Poitiers,
Tourney, 90: Paris (DeeyiIe 7S5 No nnmber Inu
been given for the National Observatory which is
not IN connection with the association. Lyons So
all OF them mapped BarcelOnette, $50; that station
was the most promising, NJ Barely. the celebrated
Marsellles observatory astronomer, having been
much disturbed by storm raging In Piedmont
AT GEMS 1866 stars were seen; no special account
Agde 3O1 were seen; at Laressore IN the Pyre-
mean district, 250 at Nice 2OO;sat Toulon ISe-more
than 10000 in total These FALLING stars were zen.
orally very small, greatly INFERIOR most OF them, to
Capea. They were mostly coming from Perseus
Dut some OF tnem were seen coming towards 1t. I'M
some places, as A2de and st. Lo the apparIrIon can
be said to nave been IN some respects spasmodic.
the coming or numerous meteOrs from the same
part OF the heavens followed up by q period of
absolute calm. Some of the meteors were following
the same path at very small distance indeed In de-
grees and IN times. Very lew were leaving behind
them visible track. But two exceptions are to DO
noticed. August TO- 1lh. 2m.-Southen apparltlon,
twice the brancy OF Venus, duration, l-6tn sec
strong whtisn light similar to an electric
spark, seen az Anglers. August IL, In. 32m. 40a.
seen at fremont A. H. 2S5 degrees, p. D. % degrees
burst with strong red light, A. Il. 1888 degrees r.
D. 80 degrees; left luminous track, visible during
80 seconds The night August 1O-ll was decidedly
the time Tor the greatest brllliancy of the meteorc
display Time OF maximum was at Anglers from one
TO two in the morning on the 18th or August with
Go stars seen in that tlme at BarCeOnette from two
10 three In the morning. S4 stars were seen during
that tme According to st. Lo observers the radiant
point was situated between Perse for the first
night and d OF the same constellation for the
second night. For the third night 1t could not be
determined. AS far as IL can be ascertained from
preliminary disQusitions the Polar star has a
radiant OF It's own less important by far Persei
ambulatory radiant