Abstracts from Current Periodicals- September 2, 1911

Phases of Science as Other Editors See Them

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Meteor Trains IN the Popular Science Monthly, August, 1911, Prof. C. C. Trowbridge, of Columbia University, presents a summary of the results thus far obtained in his study of meteor trains, which he has now carried on for a number of years, and which he has made the subject of several earlier contributions to the scientific journals. His activity in this field of research has been recognized by the National Academy of Sciences, which has made him a grant from the J. Lawrence Smith Fund, to enable him to extend his work in this direction. Prof. Trowbridge applies the term persistent train to a meteor trail of long duration-from several minutes to an hour 0' more-as distinguished from a trail lasting, at most, a second or two, such as is ordinarily seen in the wake of a meteor. A large number of these persistent trains have now been observed and measured, and their altitudes have in many cases been determined by simultaneous observations at two or more stations. They average about ten miles in length. They are at first straight narrow streaks, but gradually expand to a width of a mile, and become curved and twisted into various shapes, as they are drifted by the wind. These transformations art) illustrated in the accompanying drawing. A shows the appearance of a train a few seconds after the nucleus of the meteor had disappeared. Soon after its appearance the train was sixteen to eighteen miles in length and at an altitude of fifty,six miles above the earth, as determined by triangulatton from Sidmouth and Cardiff, which are fifty miles apart. It appeared lancelike for a few moments and then was seen to be bending like a floating ribbon, and also expanding tn width, until it assumed the appearance shown at B. A meteor having a remarkably persistent train ap- PUPUl

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