The spectacular shower of meteors in the early hours of the
morning of 14 November 1866 was observed all over Europe. It was an
extraordinary event exciting comment from professional astronomers and laymen
alike. The following sample account is from The Times Saturday, 17 November
1866:
The Rev. Robert Main, the Radcliffe Observer at Oxford,
gives the following account of the meteorological phenomenon of Tuesday night
last: --
'...This great display began about 13h. (or 1 o'clock in the
morning), and reached its maximum at about 13h.24m., after which time it
gradually began to slacken. The watch, however, was kept up till 18h., though
after 15h., there were not many meteors seen. In all there were observed not
fewer than 3,000 during the night, of which about 2,000 fell between 13h. and
14h., or between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. As to the general appearance of the meteors,
it was noticed that the majority of them were of a whitish or yellowish colour.
Some, however, were reddish or orange-coloured, and one meteor was noticed to
be bluish. The brightest left generally a train behind them, which was to be
seen for a few seconds after the meteor disappeared.'
(Adapted from ‘The
Revelation of Baha’u’llah', by Adib Taherzadeh, vol. 2)