(Gilb., 'Ann.', bd. xiv., s. 251.) This circumstance
further indicates the analogy between large shooting stars and fire-balls.
Admiral Krusenstern saw, in his voyage round the world, the train of a
fire-ball shine for an hour after the lluminous body itself had disappeared,
and scarcely move throughout the whole time. ('Reise', th. i., s. 58.) Sir
Alexander Burnes gives a charming description of the transparency of the
clear atmosphere of Bokhara, which was once so favorable to the pursuit of
astronomical observations. Bokhara is situated in 39 degrees 48' north
latitude, and at an elevation of 1280 feet above the level of the sea.
"There is a constant serenity in its atmosphere, and an admirable clearness
in the sky. At night, the stars have uncommon luster, and the Milky Way
shines gloriously in the firmament. There is also a never-ceasing display
of the most brilliant meteors, which dart like rockets in the sky; ten or
twelve of them are sometimes seen in an hour, assuming every color -- fiery
red, blue, pale, and faint. It is a noble country for astronomical science,
and great must have been the advantage enjoyed by the famed observatory of
Samarkand." (Burnes, 'Travels into Bokhara', vol. ii. (1834), p. 158.) A
mere traveler must not be reproached for calling ten or twelve shooting
stars in an hour "many," since it is only recently that we have learned,
from careful observations on this subject in Europe, that eight is the mean
number which may be seen in an hour in the field of vision of one individual
(Quetelet, 'Corresp.
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