A Meteor

Abstract

LAST night, June 24, at 11h. 29m. G.M.T., I observed a meteor, as bright as Jupiter, cross the tail of the great comet 4° or 5° above the head and disappear some 20° to the left, on the vertical of Beta Ursæ Minoris and at an altitude equal to that of the comet's head. It left a bright streak for some seconds. I did not see the beginning, and perhaps not the end, as it may have continued behind a cloud bank. The duration for the above path was three seconds, determined afterwards by experiment. Place of observation, lat. 51° 32′, long. 0° 11′ W.