in which a is the Earth’s velocity, x the meteor’s, and θ₁ is reckoned from the Earth’s quit.
The portion of the celestial dome covered at sunset is, therefore,
| ⌠ | θ₁ | ⌠ | 360° | |
| ⎮ | ⎮ | sin θ·dθ·dφ, | ||
| ⌡ | 0 | ⌡ | 0 |
where φ is the azimuth,
that at sunrise,
| ⌠ | 180° | ⌠ | 360° | |
| ⎮ | ⎮ | sin θ·dθ·dφ. | ||
| ⌡ | θ₁ | ⌡ | 0 |
If the meteors have direct motion only, θ can never exceed 90°, and the limits become,
for sunset,
| ⌠ | θ₁ | ⌠ | 360° | |
| ⎮ | ⎮ | sin θ·dθ·dφ, | ||
| ⌡ | 0 | ⌡ | 0 |
and for sunrise,