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ON the night of the 20th these meteors were watched for between 10h. 45m. and 11h. 30m., after which the stars were obscured by a densefog. During the ¾h. of observation 15 shooting-stars were counted, of which 4 or 5 only belonged to the shower of Lyrids. These were faint and somewhat slow, with slight trains and short paths. The radiant point could not be exactly fixed. Of the other meteors three were brilliant (2 = 1st mag. and 1 = 2nd mag.), and moved with extreme swiftness from a radiant point at 286° + 23°. They left bright greenish streak, and were readily distinguished from the Lyrids, though the radiants lie near together. This new shower near β Cygni (Albireo) appears to form an important display at this epoch. I saw several bright, rapid meteors from it on April 20â 21 last year, and determined the position of its radiant point from a number of shooting-star paths given in Dr. Weiss's two volumes of Austrian observations at 288° + 22° (20 meteors) for the period April 19â 23 (see Monthly Notices R.A.S., vol. xxxviii, P 396). It is further confirmed by a stationary meteor recorded by Palisa at Troppau, on April 19, 1870, at 289°·4 + 26°·4, and it will be advisable to look out specially for this prominent shower of swift, streak-leaving meteors during future returns of the Lyrids. The latter display has quite failed during the last few years. |
