Abstract
THE accompanying photograph (p. 132) was obtained on Saturday night, November 23, about 12h. 15m., by Mr. C. P. Butler, at Knightsbridge. With the intention of focussing and testing the field of a new lens, he had placed a quarter-plate camera on the window-sill, pointed it roughly at the region near the boundaries of Perseus, Andromeda, and Aries. He was necessarily in darkness during the exposure, but uncovered the plate about 12h. 10m., and terminated the exposure at 12h. 20m., so that the limits are close enough for recognising the meteor if it chances to have been recorded elsewhere, On developing the plate on the following Monday, the track of the meteor was the first impression to be perceived, and, not knowing of its occurrence during the taking of the photograph, it was thought that the plate had by some mishap been spoiled. Having finished developing, however, and after fixing, it was seen that this was not the case, the strange appearance being evidently an image of some meteor flashing past during the exposure. The star trails (the camera was fixed, so the stars are represented by short lines about an eighth of an inch long) are all distinct, but owing to the region included in the field being almost barren of bright stars, with the exception of α, β and γ Arietis, which come in at the edge of the plate, they are too minute to bear reproduction.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
A Meteor Photograph. Nature 53, 131–132 (1895). https://doi.org/10.1038/053131e0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/053131e0