Abstract
THE LEONIDS.—During the present week, if we are favoured with fine weather, the Leonid swarm or swarms of meteorites should be very conspicuous, assuming they have not decreased very considerably in number since the year 1865. That a great number of observers will be on the watch for them, there is little doubt, and photography will most probably be extensively used for obtaining records in addition to the naked eye It may be well here to sum up some of the important features which must be noted when observing these moving strangers, and we cannot do better than enumerate those given by Mr. Denning in his interesting article (Observatory, 1897) on this great meteor swarm. Thus, the observer should record the exact time of maximum abundance, the number of meteors per minute, the position of the centre of radiation, the area of this radiant if diffuse, and the duration of the shower's chief activity. Further, their relative magnitudes, duration of their visible flights, colours, and the apparent paths of the brighter meteors should be noted. Many other peculiarities which the observer may remark, such as shape of nuclei and apparent diameters of bolides (if there be any), description of curved paths, broken streaks, and duration of streaks with direction of their drift, should be accurately recorded. A convenient form of table for entering such data could be made with the following headlines:—Date, Greenwich Mean Time, Magnitude, Observed path (from. R.A., Dec. to R.A., Dec), Length of trail, and Notes.
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Our Astronomical Column. Nature 59, 43 (1898). https://doi.org/10.1038/059043a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/059043a0