"--_Clerke, "History of Astronomy in the Nineteenth
Century," p. 329._
This same work describes the extent of the display as follows:
"On the night of Nov. 12-13, 1833, a tempest of falling stars
broke over the earth. North America bore the brunt of its
pelting. From the Gulf of Mexico to Halifax, until daylight
with some difficulty put an end to the display, the sky was
scored in every direction with shining tracks and illuminated
with majestic fireballs."--_Page 328._
The Spectacle Described
The closest scientific observations were made by Prof. Denison Olmsted,
professor of astronomy at Yale, who wrote in the _American Journal of
Science_:
"The morning of Nov. 13, 1833, was rendered memorable by an
exhibition of the phenomenon called shooting stars, which was
probably more extensive and magnificent than any similar one
hitherto recorded.... Probably no celestial phenomenon has ever
occurred in this country, since its first settlement, which was
viewed with so much admiration and delight by one class of
spectators, or with so much astonishment and fear by another
class.
Pages:
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113