1719, Southern England March 19th
1733, Dorset Dec 8th
1738, Central and Southern England Aug 29th
1741, Sussex; Isle of Wight Dec 11th
1752, Glasgow; Scotland Dec 25th
1758, Edinburgh; Dublin November 26 (or 25?)
1769, Coventry Jan 27th
1773, Northallerton, Yorkshire Aug 8th
1783, France, England, Scotland Aug 18th
1800, Essex; Steeple-Bumstead April 1st
1803, Cambridge May 9th 2 p.m.
1803, London Nov 13th 8.30 p.m.
1814, Surrey; London Dec 2nd
1816, Oxford, Surrey March 23rd 11 p.m.
1818, Lincolnshire Feb 6th
1831, Herefordshire Dec 8th
1841, Glasgow; Stirling Dec 21st
1848, Buckinghamshire Jan 27th
1858, Herefordshire Dec 2nd
1872, Nairn, Scotland. November 3rd, 5.30 p.m.
1873, Liverpool and Chester February 3rd, 9.58 p.m.
1874, Holyhead, Wales. May 19th 0.50 a.m.
1877, Chester November 23rd, 8h 25m G.M.T.
1890, Essex December 14th, 9hr 42m
1880 to date, no details, to be researched.
Size > moon. Seen 65 miles over Hereford; burst? 70 miles high; v.=350 miles per minute; d.=1½ miles; seen all over Northern Europe. Hally calculated it at 150 miles high when first seen; 8000 feet d.; v.=5½ miles in a second. Another account gave 297 miles high.
R. P. Greg in his catalogue 1860, gives an entry for a fireball by daylight over Southern England; Dorset.
From The Gentleman's Magazine, volume 8, page 492.
Cranborne, Dorsetshire, The 29th of last Month at five in the afternoon, was seen near this place a surprising meteor, or phaenomenon in the sky to ye North East, the sun shining bright. It first appeare'd as fire burning from behind a cloud, out of which fire issued a light glowing ball, with a train of flame behind it, which quickly disappeared. The same was seen at Wells in Somersetshire; also at Tupton in Derbyshire about the same time; it did not come from behind a cloud, for the sky was quite free from clouds, and the sun shin'd very clear; it appeare'd like a cone of fire, which terminated in a sharp point, with a bright nucleus or a ball at its thicker end, which seem'd to burst and go away in a great flame. It was almost south-East.--At Reading, and 15 miles round, (the same time) an astonishing noise was heard in the air, when it was quite serene. The crack which was very sudden and violent was succeeded by a rumbling noise for the space of a minute.
R. P. Greg in his catalogue 1860, gives an entry for a fireball, size > moon, travelling W. to E. conical; train of smoke; detonating fireball.
The following is taken from The Gentleman's Magazine, March 1750, page 129...
An account of a Meteor on Dec. 31st, 1741; by the Rev. Mr Wm Gostling. Monor canon of the Cathedral Church of Canterbury; inserted in support of the supposition of an Airquake in the said Paper of the 31st. See p. 125.
About one in the afternoon I found my house violently shaken for some seconds of time, as if several loaded carriages had been driving gainst my walls; and heard a noise, which at first my family took for thunder, but of an uncommon sound. For my own part (as I thought thunder which could shake us at that rate, would have been much louder) I concluded it an earthquake; and, going immediately to the top of my house, found the sky coudy, but nothing like a thunder-cloud in view; only there was a shower of rain from the eastward presently after, and the coldest that I have felt. I thought it the shock of an earth-quake, as I told you before; but since find it was attended (and I suppose caused) by a ball of fire, which passed with great rapidity over our country, from westward to eastward, for how long a journey I cannot tell. It began with two great blows, like the reports of cannon (which the jumbling of my sashes prevented my distinguishing); and then rolled away till it was heard no more. The appearance, I hear, was as that of a very large shooting-star; and it left a train of light, which soon disapeared, it being noon-day. I met a pilot ... day coming from Deal, whom I asked about it, and he told me he saw no fire-ball, but heard the noise, and that it made the ship shake he was in, going from Gravesend to the Nere.
Canterbury, Dec. (sic) 13. W. G.
Farther accounts of this phaenomonon, from Sussex, Newport in thr Ise of Wight, and London, may be seen in Phil. Trans. for that year.
A strange report, from The Gentelman's Magazine Dec 1752, page 582
At four this afternoon a large ball of fiew with a long tail over ths place, in direction from the N.E. to the S. W. and after having exhibited, for some time, the various colours of the rainbow, it burst into a thousand sparks of fire, and was immediately followe'd by a great shower of hail.
R. P. Greg in his catalogue 1860, gives an entry...size=moon, direction S. to N. dazzling; light as day; seen all over Great Britian; Seen from Cambridge to Ross-shire; velocity-30 miles in a second; height over Cambridge 95 miles; over Inverness 30 miles; seemed to descend obliquely towards the earth, and then rose again with renewed splendour.
R. P. Greg in his catalogue 1860, gives an entry for 'a ball of fire seen by daylight'
A report from The Gentleman's Magazine....About one o'clock this morning, the inhabitants of Northallerton, in Yorkshire, were alarmed by the appearance of a large ball of fire, that passed with great velocity from West to the East; several houses were greatly agitated, and many doors and windows forced open.
R. P. Greg in his catalogue 1860, gives the following entry...
A very celebrated and remarkable meteor. First seen in the Shetland Isles; like the planet Mars; 1/3 moon, from Mullingar to York; equal 2 full moons over Kent; appeared to burst into two straight over Lincolnshire, with a report 8' or 9' heard at Windsor afterwards; visible 20" at once for an arc of 75°; 60 miles high; 20 miles in a second; tail 10 > than body; turned a little to E. after partially bursting; left a streak and sparks; tail not much seen at first, perhaps foreshortened. In Ireland, seen moving parallel to horizon 10° or 12° high. Seen over Burgundy in France; altogether for a distance of 1200 miles. At Greenwich as a double bolide, very brilliant. Heard to explode also over York some minutes after.
And The Gentleman's Magazine for September 1783 mentions it, and quotes... it was seen at Bath, as appeares by the following extract of an authentic letter from a person of honour there to his friend at Bromley, in Kent, dated Bath, Aug. 19. A Curious phaenomenon, or meteor, appeared in the atmosphere about nine last night. Its direction was from East to West, and its movement very rapid. It gave a light equal to that of half dozen rockets, which it resembled in appearance. In passing through some clouds the noise was like that of hot iron put into water. Its explosion was very loud; and it seemed, when scattered, to descend like a shower of fire.
R. P. Greg in his catalogue 1860, gives an entry for fireball S.W. to N.E; detonation; vertically down with a hissing sound.
R. P. Greg in his catalogue 1860, gives an entry for a daylight fireball travelling S.W. to N.E. size 2/3rds of moon. During bright sunshine, a large oval meteor fell straight down to within 15° of the horizon; had a train of light and vapour: seen about same time at Swaffham in Norfolk, and in Lincolnshire at same hour; a shock, and loud noise and hissing sounds were heard; probably aërolitic.
Report from the Monthly Magazine 1804, Volume 17, page 6.
description of the meteor which was seen in London and other places, Nov. 3, 1803, at about half past eight in the evening.
The different figures in the Plate, which accompany this Magazine; represent the meteor as it appeared to different persons situated at different places.
At its first appearance it seemed quite round, and well defined, except the part opposite to the direction in which it was moving, which seemed to project a little; and to terminate in a tail that extended to a small distance. On each side of this tail there were two or three smaller balls, tinged, at their extremities, with yellow and orange colours, and one or two with purple. The whole body continued to move together without any sensible distance in either colour or shape, till within about a second of its disappearance, when it suddenly altered its figure to something like the shape of an egg. At this moment its light became so intense, that it was with difficulty that the eye could bear to look at it. It seemed at this instant as if the meteor had before been covered with one external coat, which now burst, and exposed a surface of brightness far surpassing its former lusture.
The diameter of the large ball at its first appearance, subtended an angle of about twenty minutes of a degree; the smaller balls, which seemed nearly of the same size, were about a fifth part of the diameter of the large one. The altitude of the meteor was about 50 or 55 degrees, and continued nearly the same during the whole time of its appearance, which ws about four or five seconds.
In two minutes after the appearance of this meteor, a noise was heard, which sounded like a distant clap of thunder; this gradually became fainter and fainte, till it was no longer audible. The sound seemed to follow the tract in which the meteor had before passed, and it lasted a minute and forty seconds. The meteor, as it moved along, had the general appearance of a sky-rocket.
(there then follows suggestions of how to take measures of meteors which I have ommited)
R. P. Greg in his catalogue 1860, gives an entry for 'a great meteoritic light; equal daylight'
R. P. Greg in his catalogue 1860, gives an entry for a fireball travelling S. to N. followed by a rumbling noise for 5'.
R. P. Greg in his catalogue 1860, gives an entry for a fireball travelling N.W. to S.E.?; equal semi-light; loud rumbling noise heard; a hissing sound also said to have been heard.
R. P. Greg in his catalogue 1860, gives an entry for a daylight fireball; also seen at Bath.
R. P. Greg in his catalogue 1860, gives an entry for fireball 2x size of moon; travelling S. to N. very brilliant; tailed; burst; as light as day. Glasgow, &c. Tail consisting of various coloured fire, like a rocket; dazzling; oval body.
R. P. Greg in his catalogue 1860, gives an entry for a daylight fireball; large silver-white; pear-shaped and tailed; double-headed; fell from 60° high to 30°.
R. P. Greg in his catalogue 1860, gives an entry for a afternoon daylight fireball; streak for 3 seconds; direction slow vertically down.
A meteor of unusual brilliancy was observed to take a direction from E.S.E about 20° from the horizon. The sky was so lighted up for two or three seconds that the observer could have seen to pick a pin from the ground. Darkness followed, and again the light burst forth stronger than before, and shortly afterwards a sound was heard as if three or four cannon had been discharged at the distance of a quarter of a mile. The meteor appeared to move from the southern part of Banffshire, towards the centre of Inverness-shire, and to burst somewhere near the source of the river Nairn. It was also observed at Glasgow.--A second very bright meteor was seen about 9.15 (G.M.T.) at Bristol and Portsmouth,[2] passing from the zenith down towards 10° E. of the Pleiades in Taurus. A sound as of an explosion was heard three seconds after its disappearance.
Extract from 'A Chapter in the history of Meteorites' by Walter Flight
Who quotes the following refrences...Brit. Assoc. Rep., 1873, Obs. Luminous Meteors, 353 and 364.--Brit. Assoc. Rep., 1873. Obs. Luminous Meteors, 376.--English Mechanic, 1873, 171.
This meteor, which is described as one of the largest class of detonating meteors, illuminated the whole district which it traversed with one or two prolonged flashes of light at least as powerful as that of the full moon. Owing to the clouded state of the sky, which mearly concealed the moon in many places, the descriptions of its apparent path are nowhere suffiently determinate to indicate with much precision its real course; the meteor, however, appears to have moved at a lower elevation than is usal with shooting-stars over the north of Staffordshire and Cheshire, passing at a height of less than 40 miles over Crew, and to have vanished at an altitude of less than 30 miles over a point between Liverpool and Chester; a sound like the loud boom of a distant gun or a loud roll of thunder was heard about three or four minutes after the disappearance of the meteor. The observations of its apparent path show considerable discordance, and it seems that its course may have been more directly from E. to W. The light of the meteor was of a bluish hue, leaving a train of brilliant sparks along its track. It appears to have been visible as far south as Bristol. On the same date, and at the same local time, a very brilliant fireball was seen in Australia.
A very brilliant meteor, oval in form and with the major diameter equal to the apparent diameter of the moon, was seen off Holyhead. It appeared stationary for the first two or three seconds, and then moved slowly northwards, spreading a soft green light on objects along its course. It 'forned' near Antares and before it disappeared in Ursa Major siz sparks of the same apparent size as Jupiter were throwm off from the hinder prtion. The disappearance of the meteor is stated to have been followed by a crackling sound.
From Telescopic Work for Starlight Evenings by W. F. Denning (1891), p267
The fireball of Nov. 23, 1877, gave a sound like salvoes of artillery, and doors and windows were shaken violently. At Chester the noise of of its explosion was compared to loud but distant thunder.
(Drawn by J. Plant, Salford)
| Date of Apparition | G.M.T | Height | Real Length of Path | Velocity | Radiant-Point | Authority | |
| At Appearance | At Disappearance | R.A. Dec. | |||||
| h m | miles | miles | miles | miles | ° | ||
| 1877, Nov 23 | 8 25 | 95 | 14 | 135 | 17½ | 62 +21 | G. L. Tupman |
On December 14, 1890, at 9h 42m a large fireball of dazzling lustre, and giving a report like thunder, was widely observed in the southern parts of England. At the end-point the fireball appears to have been only 8 miles in height, and over a point near Brentwood, in Essex.