Abstract
FIREBALL OBSERVED IN SUNSHINE.—Mr. W. F. Denning writes that on February 7, at 3.55 p.m., he observed a brilliant fireball descending in the northern sky. The sun was shining at the time, and the firmament was almost cloudless. The fireball moved with moderate speed, varying in size and lustre as it fell, and its motion was directed to the north-north-west point of the horizon, but it disappeared when 21° in altitude. Its brilliancy was such that had it appeared at night the heavens would have been strikingly illuminated. The fireball was observed from other places, and it appears certain that it was moving from a radiant point near the star Capella. There is a well-known shower of brilliant meteors from this region in the month of February. It is hoped that further observations of the recent fireball will come to hand so that its height, velocity, and exact direction may be computed.
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Our Astronomical Column. Nature 109, 217 (1922). https://doi.org/10.1038/109217a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/109217a0