| Reference number | PP/11/12/1 |
| Previous numbers | PP/43/13 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Manuscript, 'On the detonating bolide of November 20th, 1887' by George James Symons |
| Date | 1887 |
| Description | Symons writes: 'Shortly after November 20th it was generally reported that an earthquake shock had been felt in the South Midland counties of England, and the author began to collect and examine the facts. It appeared that the records from Oxfordshire, and the western stations generally, indicated that much louder sounds were heard there than at the eastern stations, e. g., Essex and Cambridge. The author thought that, although the phenomenon had been almost universally ascribed to an earthquake, it was more probably due to an explosive bolide, and on receiving from one of the local scientific societies a request for assistance in tracing the shock, the author suggested the alternative explanation.'
Annotations in pencil and ink. Includes a map of the south of England and the Midlands showing 'whence returns have been received' regarding the shock caused by the meteor.
Subject: Astronomy
Received and read 8 December 1887.
A version of this paper was published in volume 43 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'On the detonating bolide of November 20th, 1887'. |
| Extent | 2p |
| Format | Manuscript |
| Physical description | Ink and graphite pencil on paper |
| Digital images | View item on Science in the Making |
| Access status | Open |
| Related material | DOI: 10.1098/rspl.1887.0129 |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | Name | Dates |
| NA6485 | Symons; George James (1838 - 1900) | 1838 - 1900 |