Meteoric astronomy: A treatise on shooting-stars, fire-balls, and aerolites

The work surveys observational and theoretical aspects of shooting-stars, fire-balls, and meteoric stones, offering a popular account of major meteor showers and a chronological description of important falls and their attendant phenomena. It analyzes patterns of recurrence and geographic distribution, considers whether different forms of meteoric matter coexist, and evaluates evidence bearing on atmospheric extent and a resisting medium. The text explores speculative applications, including a meteoric contribution to solar heat and the nature of variable stars, and applies meteoric ideas to the rings of Saturn, the asteroid zone, and the nebular hypothesis for origins.