2-969-757 - /Heritage Images

The Meteor, as seen near Corfe Castle, Wareham, Dorset, 1856. '..a very large and beautiful meteor was seen to descend rapidly from the zenith...a small streak of vapoury light was seen to rush from a great elevation, gradually increasing in breadth, and as it reached the denser atmosphere, its head became intensely brilliant - descended with increased velocity, and, leaving a broader train, suddenly exploded, and fell in sparks towards the earth...the cloud which it left behind expanded in size, and about the middle spread out considerably in the form of a crescent, as if the upper and lower portions were acted upon by the wind, from its greater lightness, while the more massy crescent-shaped portion remained stationary, rolling over and over in vast volumes, not unlike cumulus clouds brilliantly lit up in a clear sunlight...The ruins in the Sketch are the noted remains of Corfe Castle'. From "Illustrated London News", 1856.