Full text: The orbit and phenomena of a meteoric fire-ball, seen July 20, 1860

at night, that the above point was not visible from the place where the lady sat, 
owing to the dense foliage of intervening trees, and the point, whose altitude and 
azimuth were measured, was nearly five feet from the aforesaid corner. 
No. 80 was observed by Dr. C. C. Field, as the meteor came in sight, over the 
edge of the roof of an adjoining building. 
No. 85 was observed by Alexander Wilson, who said it appeared to pass just 
below the gilt ball on the spire of one of our churches. He thought also that it 
passed near the planet Mars. 
No. 92 was observed by Prof. Traill Green, M. D., and his lady from their north 
parlor window. They noticed the meteor as it passed behind the steeple of a 
church on the opposite side of the street. By repeating, watch in hand, certain 
operations that he performed during the passage of the meteor (such as leaving his 
seat after being called twice, going across the parlor, looking out of the window, 
and noticing the passage of the meteor behind the steeple, then running out of the 
house and across the street) Prof. Green estimates the time occupied by the meteor 
in passing from an azimuth of about N. 40° W. to the range of the steeple at 13 
seconds, and from thence to due east at about 20 seconds. 1 
No. Ill was observed by John Swift, through an opening between two buildings. 
The possible limits of the altitude are 3° 38' and 8° 22'. 
No. 126 was observed by a lady, who was sitting upon her front door-step, facing 
north, a few feet from the observer of No. 85, and with reference to the same 
object as No. 60. The meteor could not have been seen at this azimuth if its 
altitude had been less than 20°. 
Nos. 132 and 140 were observed by a lady and her two daughters, who were in 
the portico in front of her house, on the north side. They say that the meteor 
came into view from behind the hipped roof of a house on the opposite side of the 
street, just below the upper cornice, and that it then passed a little above another 
house which stands further east. 
No. 150 was observed by J. Tidd with reference to the chimney of a building. 
No. 190 was observed by Mr. Thompson with reference to the corner of a 
building. 
No. 192 was observed with reference to the top of a house; same observer as 
No. 76. 
No. 194 was observed by John Swift with reference to a tree top. 
No. 198 was observed by William W. Cottingham with reference to a tree top. 
No. 200 was observed by a young woman at the house of Rev. Dr. Vanderveer, 
who kindly lent his aid in determining the position of the meteor (as also No. 76, 
his house being the one there referred to). Startled by the light she ran out of 
doors, and leaning against a tree, saw the meteor through an opening in the dense 
foliage of another tree. 
No. 215 was observed by Dr. J. B. Clemens, who, sitting in a chair on the pave 
ment in front of his office, which faces south, saw the meteor come into view over 
1 The times by calculation are 13 seconds and 17 seconds.
	        
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