The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-12-01
Professor Campbell ON tile Grsng Bay
Hight MeteHr
WASHINGTON AND LEE, UN

=
\ LEXINGTON, VA, November q, 1871. !
Editors Dispatch: The several notices
given through the DiSpatth OF the sem,:ska-
Die meteor that appeared Oh the 18th In
slant Just before sunset are'highly interest
/, ing, and II enough OF observations; with
little more definite statements as to direction
and angular elevation can be collected,
some valuable iuduction:,Smay be reached.
| knowing its direction, Esparent angular
| elevation at the moment ii became visible,
and also at the moment OF It's disappearance,
! the inclination Of its tra2k'to the horizon,
1 the number of seconds IEing which it was
| visible, all noted for a n,snber OF places re-
l mote from one another, !swould ba>no dlt-
| ticnt problem to determine, approximately
at least, several points ID interest ;:::such as
| the height in the atmosphere at which it
was igntted, the height at which It finally
exploded Git was most probably sdetonat-
ing meteor). the loo Ait Mover whi2h the eN-
plosion occurred, the figure OF u.s. orbital
track through the nir, &c.
BY comparing several of the Observations
you have published with like observations
| taken at two points aear Washington and
| Lee University hays come to SoEle general
conclusions as to tie height Ct; which it
took fire and the region OF country over
(which it exploded. The lattezpoint may
be determined fir ST.
l. As seen from hers, the line oGfdcscent va
Fried from VERTICAL by about fOo,, dipping
towards the east rhe direction Of the last
point at which ID was visibie was south
about 200 east. 81 line with that bearing,
extended sufficiently far, would intersect
the southern boundary OF ths,State near the
southwest corner Of Mecklsaburg county,
| hut within Halifax county. As seen from
Richmond by Professor W A,ston (Dispatch
of 22d), it appeared in direction west OF
tsouthw west" BE does nottalt US how many
degrees wess OF southwest; bat il 1T was
100 then his ane Of observation would inter
sect ours nsar the southern border OF the
State, not far from the point above lnulr
Gated. Again, your ClafksviIle corresponds
ent dispatch Of 2Sdl speaks OF it as '"sa-
rectly in the track OF the sun" AZ
J this season the Snn sets little south
t of wsst: so that his line OF obssrva-
ton would intcrseet tue other two near the
southeastern corner OF Halifax, or the
southwest corner Of Mecklenburs. You
+ give us a third observation, quosed IRON
e The Raleigh Observer, which is very lndeh'
4 mite except as to direction. This, the
writer saws, was one degree west OF north
line OF direction that would take out
little west OF GAINESVILLE. But to detect
e variation OF one degree without the alo OF
= compass is not an easy matter. II the cours'
= wac determined by the unaided eye WI
u ,,;@bt NOT deyiate far from the truth in sup
- nosing that it was eight or ten degrees ives
re ~ north. This would then accord wei
to with the other observations, and locute tn
noint Of its final explosion over the south
:, east corner Of Halifax, about fifteen o
:, twenty miles a little south OF west fror
~ ClarkSyille, about one hundred miles lin
"a straight line) from Richmond, about eight
le from Lexington, and about tifty-five frol
ne Raleigh, n. c.
va AS to the height OF the meteor at the tim
. of ignition, there must be wide margl
"a. allowed for guess work, Professor VIII
II ston, very intelligent observer, says 81 IA
b. way from the zenith to the horizon, sa
all 45o.'' This would give an elevation
,te about one hundred miles. Several .obser'
,os ers in Lexington Il did not see iD agrt
~, upon about $50 of elevation. This, agail
~ would give an elevation not varying widel
zee from one hundred miles. This conclusion
is however, rs we'll as that in respect to Il
nv cality. must be regarded as only approx
&c mating the truth, and as liable to some Y:
80 riations when larger number OF obsery;
W. tions have been collected and compared.
tai Let us note some other circumstances a
tending this mysterious body. At Clark
I'VE vile it had apparently the size Of th
No. sum-; at Richmond one-eighth part til
~ apparent size OF the moon. No noise seem
IN to have been heard at Richmond or lie,
nd ington, while at GAINESVILLE Fsthere fe
Tor upon our ears two distinct sounds like til
nd booming OF cannon, so heavy as to caus
., distinct tremulous vibrations" Nothing
- said about sounds at Raleigh.
ny The fact that it seemed ut Richmond
ut. move in o line almost perpendicular, viii
IRE at Lexington its line was obliaue to til
TO horizon, is readily accounted for on til
nd hypothesis that the observer at the foIme
~ place was nearly in the orbital plane OF u
re- meteor, while at the latter he looked at
up somewhat obliqueiy.
he All OF the circumstances above give
ae seem to lead to the conclusions, ~ Thi
o this was meteor Of unusual size and bl.i
CO liancS. (2) That it is to be classed with d.
FRS tonafing meteors. 90 That it exploded at
point west OF GAINESVILLE, Va, and at n
on very great distance from that place.
on will sincerely thank any persons wh
- will send me the results Of their obsery,
ue tons on this meteor, as to direction, higl
IRE est and lowest points, duration, and app.
be rent size compared with the moon.
'or j. L. CAMPBELL.
"a sSgt..s.. b -