A little ramble through 19th century astronomy - meteor over Sweden in 1876

 Nature August 3^rd 1876

A fall of meteorites, we learn from Aftonblad, took place on June 28^th, between 11.00 and 12.00 am near Stalldalen, a station non the Swedish Central Railway, in the northern most part of Orebrolan. Several fell, some on the ground and others in a lake. Two were found, one about the size of the fist band weighing 4.5 lbs, the other smaller.

Eyewitnesses stated that a loud whistling was first heard in the air from west to east, and a light was plainly distinguishable; although the sky was clear and cloudless, thereafter two very sharp reports were heard, the second succeeding the first after a momentary interval, followed by several others less sharp, resembling thunder, after which the falling stones were observed by eight or ten persons; and finally, there was seen in the air a whirling smoke, not very high up.

A meteor was observed simultaneously at Stockholm and at other places. At thirteen English miles south west of Linkoping it was seen first in a north westerly direction pretty high up in the sky, and it then sank down in about ten seconds towards the horizon in the west. It had the appearance of a large pear a foot long, which, notwithstanding the bright sunshine, left behind a clear shinning streak of six to eight feet in appearance length, which finally broke up into a multitude of starlike sparks. Here no noise was heard.

According to a communication from the Stockholm Meteorological Bureau, there is reason to believe that the phenomenon arose from the “Kulblixt” which generally appears as a luminous round object, and often on approaching the ground, assumes a lengthened form and a blinding white colour, and bursts asunder, commonly with a loud report. As all who observed the meteor, both in Stockholm and in Sodernanland , saw the luminous appearance in the same direction, viz. W N W, it is probable that the light proceeded from the main mass of the meteor situated at a very great distance.

The phenomenon observed here at Stockholm must therefore have been an illusion, the object, instead of being, as most people estimated, within a few thousand feet, being actually at a great distance.

Later information shows that the phenomenon was visible over a great part of middle Sweden.

                                                       www.theramblingastronomer.co.uk