The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, Vol. XLIX: April-October 1850Various
Science
The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, Vol. XLIX: April-October 1850
Various
Science -- Periodicals
"While registering the observation, a loud report was heard nearly
in the same direction, resembling that of a piece of heavy
ordnance at the distance of two or three miles. The interval
between the flash and the report reaching me, must have been
between the limits of 2m 40s and 2m 45s, from the circumstance of
my having observed the light just before the star (_g Ceti_) had
come to the second wire[86] of the instrument, which, on referring
to the transit-book, would have taken place at 23h 57m 47s·6
nearly, and therefore the occurrence of the phenomenon may be
safely referred to 23h 57m 45s; and as, on hearing the report, I
immediately consulted the Sidereal clock, which indicated 0h 0m
30s, I think that the error in assuming the elapsed time as above
cannot be supposed to amount to five seconds.
Footnote 86: The Transit of _g Ceti_ (_2 Ceti_) over the second
wire, on this day is blank; and the word "meteor" is written in
the margin. The first and third wires are 23h 57m 27s·9 and 23h
58m 7s·4.
"There was little peculiar in the state of the weather or
atmosphere; the day had been rather more than usually cool, the
highest temperature being 68° Fahrenheit, the wind from the south,
and moderate, with slight passing showers. The evening was nearly
clear, with a light air from the south-west, atmosphere rather
dry; the barometer standing at 30in·20, and the thermometer at
52°, and both were observed to rise suddenly after the explosion,
the barometer by 0in·01, and the thermometer by 0°·1, though they
regained their original position in a short time afterwards.--I
have, &c.,
"W. RONALD.
"By referring to my Meteorological Journal, it appears that a
meteor of somewhat similar appearance was noticed in Cape Town
early on the morning of the 6th November last year.--W. R."
_Discovery of the Great Lake "Ngami" of South Africa._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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