James Glaisher, Falling Stars, 1871
Falling stars as seen from the balloon. James Glaisher (April 7, 1809 - February 7,1903) was an English meteorologist, aeronaut and astronomer. In 1837 he became Superintendent of the Department of Meteorology and Magnetism at Royal Observatory, Greenwich, where he served for 34 years. In 1845, he published his dew point tables, for the measurement of humidity. He was a founder member of the Meteorological Society (1850) and the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain (1866). He is best remembered as a pioneering balloonist. Between 1862-66, usually with Henry Tracey Coxwell as his co-pilot, Glaisher made numerous ascents to measure the temperature and humidity of the atmosphere at its highest levels. His ascent on September 5, 1862 broke the world record for altitude, but he passed out around 8,800 meters before a reading could be taken. One of the pigeons making the trip with him died. Estimates suggest that he rose to more than 9,500 meters and as much as 10,900 meters above sea-level. He died in 1903 at the age of 93. Page 262 of Travels in the Air by James Glaisher, 1871.
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