The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-11-20 00:00:00

TRB DDIPLAY OF METEOR&

The splendid spectacle which had been So Onj,e,
sally anticipated during Tuesday nisht and Wedzeese,
*mad not have occurred at a more fortunate MU.
Observers differ an to the precise moment at whieh the
Ord meteor became viaible ; but it may be .ekly
chronicle' that about twenty-.even minutes put nits
• very brilliant shooting star passed anti,. the Lea....
in • straight line from east to south, leaving • lime
faint lino of light in it. wake. The youthful enthinium;
of this gamine, however, probably d (rated its nen mil •
meet emetoor apert•toei having ecru.' to begin th,
lir.t watch at twelve o'clock. The sky at that 'inn wars
without • muck of clout, despite tho wind
blew strongly from the nortlewett. In the 4.,4
vault overhead the stars twinkltd as though the at,,„„.
.hero had ma ldenly become crisp with (rot ; the
had gone down, and, it. feat, 00 1100e00017 n, wanton
to compete the magnificent spectacle whit+ eat to
follow. During the centre evening, indeed, meteor. Lad
Isi•en observed at interval.; bit it was now that tie
" chewer" which had been predicted really continent :1.
;momently fmn, every point, bet notably from th- mot
little lieu of light began to smear—swat
that were rarely visild, for the length of a
longer and brighter fianhirs occurred. From ,vooe Li.aa
00000 of dull blue a white bolt would dart, the te,e,
moment there was not setae tribe eeen by ressonof
stantancous glare, and presently there would be L a
long, wintering feather of lurednous vapour. what
•ith create, or less rapidity dimpprared again in..
vacuity. When these more brilliant meteors toe
gleamed along the darkness many an exclamation at
wonder and delight was made, bet after • while the
meteor' became too frequent to to. followed east ht it
Own DOW of admiration. The entire firmament seemed
to quiver with tbesc rapid strokes of firc--oceurrinc at
no many diferent pinta, and in such awift 110,1,1610 u
that the eye grew tired with the conetant strain spot
it. nerve.. tiougionally three or font of the armlike
' *mild gut bone nearly the same point, and gli jug
rilently downward, diaappear at different dittancu fo 0,
,ti. horizon ; while two of them eracefully revolve,'
round each other, and vanished while still desenbitg
this luminous spiral. Only • strong faith m the
honesty of astronomical writers could have counted
nee that these incandescent bits of matter, appariatly
darting about space in the wildest and most ungovern-
' able way, bid really premed/id from the Minn, point,
and it it matter for wonder that seder ouch cite...
stances amateur oleervers had sufficient (minion.* end
onecentration to watch particularly the sober of the
light exhibited by certain of the aerolites, Is some
cases the luminous tail of the meteor ia said to have
been of a greenish tinge ; while in others it was dti-
tinetly rose-coloured. But whether or not, these
differenees in bus were remarked by moat of thou *he
were .pretators on Tuesday evening
.and Weievezey
morning (and we should think the excata•et prodseed
by each a scene rendered this mmewhat un'iselyi, the
patient watchers of the night hare been smote repaid
for their trouble by the writneseint of a surie•ingly
beautiful spectacle, which can occur but seldom in any
one man's life. Beyond the mere fact of the recurreue
of these meteoric ahow-rs at stated panel; and thew
connection with tin Mitolites whirl, have freliently
been drawn towards the earth, little is known of the
" shooting stars" or of their origin.

The Rev. J. Lengdon Folioed, of Symondsbcry, ger :
—My brother and myself turned out and took op our
minnow" at 11 49 p.m. the night wes very favnerable
for obeereition but rather chilly for the observer), for
the air was clear, and the stars shone out with rest
brightness, otocasionally obscured by fleecy clouds, which
rose and venished lipeedilly, and by slight mist. which
lasted only for • few minutes at a time. Wei icon,.
diately commenced counting and between 1149 pm.
Nov. 13, and 12'30 gm Nov. 14, we counted 204; b -
tweet' 12'30 a.m. and It4o am. Nor. 14. 274; snci
between 1210 am. and 1250 a.m. Noe. 14, 375.
At this point the meteors became so numerous that we
were compelled to abandon all attempts at counting.
They seemed to me to be most numerous about one
o'clock, and after that they gradually deoremed in num-
ber. As early, however, as 19.48 gin., we counted no
less than 90 meteors in the space of half • minute ! And
whom it is taken into consideration that all we concord
were men with the naked eye, and the imposoibility o f
mooring all when the meteor-10 were dashing across all
quartere of the sky, POMO idea may be formed of the
enormous number that really appeared. On reversl
omissions we added live or six to one more at once, so
closely did they come together. The greater part of them
meteors were of the colour of ordinary shooting liters.,
but occasionally some had en orange or reddish tint.
The train wbieh they left behind them was of a blunt'
green bus, and remained distinctly vioible for some
eiseciad• after the meteor itself had vanished. Their
general direction appeared to me to be almost due east
and west, bat sa morning drew on they seemed to
change about S.E. and N.W. Bat although this was
the general direction of those that shot acmes the sky,
yet above the ...stern beans° they cause forth from the
constellation "Leo" in a manner resembling the spokes
of • wheel. There was great uniformity both in their
sise and in the distenee they traversed. The target
and brightest meteors that I observed occurred at
1.6 and 1.17 a.m. I leave to abler hands the task of
giving your readers an account of the imams for these
periodical returns of meteor showers.
The Be,. Wiiliam Owen, of Dasnerham vicarage,
Saliabury, write. :—Having learnt from Mr. Rico's
letter, and from other sources, that a grand meteoric,
display was exteetect, I challenged our schoolmaster to
devote one night in his life, at least, to "star-casing," in.
the garden adjoining the Vicarage. At 11.30 p.m. we
commenced, and at 5.40 am, we closed, our cheer-
ration of the heavens. It was an occasion to lie
forgotten, and one which amply 'awarded us for the
necessary fatigue and loss -.4 met. We were on f. ont
nearty roar hours, in which time we mantel lais
distinct shooting or falling starg that is, at the rote of
Li every two minute.. From 11.30 p.m. to 12,45)
we saw 3.19, or nine every two minor—. o ca.l of ram
drove us indoors, bat at 118 imurned to 'be gsrden,
and 7... in.-I there till 2.22, when we law no
fewer than 673, that is, about 10 per minute. A shall,
storm again compelled na to leave, but at 3M)..
were oat, and between that and 4.15 saw 309 more of the
eters, or about fours minute. We reeled till 5.5, aril
then resumed our walk till 5.40, when we law only 44,
or little more then one per minute. Of course many mote
meteor, than them were seen from the windows, hot a.
did not count them. The appearase. of the meteors
MS! be thus described :-1. About six wore huge and
brillimt blue balls, with tails of light which swept ball
mom the h g I About 40 more were very hright
, and beautiful, but were not no large or of such an
etouisite blue as the above, and the fiery path tley
left behind covered not more than one-fifth or me-sixth
of the sky. 3 About a dozen left mereely any trace
bet ind, but glided like lamp. of transparent blue fire,
suspended by an invisible chain from the vault above.
4. The remainder, and therefore by far the terra
number of the meteors, lasted le and out of stab.
almost before an exclamation could be made, and timely
resembled in all pointa the "falling star" we are
accustomed to me every year on a fine night in August
or September. We noticed that nearly all the
meteors darted from the east towards the west
a few same from the south and north but only
four or five from the west. Several dashes of
lightning of a deep golden hue added to the grandeur to
the vision. The sky was partly clouded the first half of
the night, but it gradually became perfectly clear. The
constellation, phone out very brightly. though for the
time their well-known beauties were eclipsed by thee
charro, of their strange and deetincrivala. I will only
add, that the scene we were privileged in witnessing
could scarcely fall to exeite in every redective mind
both awe and thankfulness—awe, by the thought of that
Divine Mind which had assigned Meath of these glorious
meteors its own proper path mid plain in the universe,
and of that Divine Hand which kept it from diverging a
hair's breadth from it. appointed trick; thankfulness,
that such puny, finite creatures as wears should eis per-
mitted with the naked eye to obtain even a glimpse into
glories beyond this fallen world, whom lovelies.s our
sin• and the sins of our race have so sadly and ornelll
marred

The Standard *berm that about midnight the 'ay
storm began. A species of celestial bombardment can s
to pees. By three o'clock the Armament was alive with
gleaming balls like molts' silver, some less cot:topics.s
than ordinary stars, and others apparently of °onside,
able size. To the untutored eye they seemed to dart in
all directions. The !aggregate number must have been
annum*. There was notbiag formidable in the
tion —it was serious rather than awfal ; but it was not
wasting in the element of beauty. Is many instances
the appearance strongly resembled • skyosiket, except
that the general idea was one of dement instead of
ascent. On former occasions al this nature we have
!adverted to what is termed the memical theory et these
remarkable apportions-a, and have held that @booting
stare are diminutive planetary bodies—world fragments,
as we may coll thins, having orbits of their own which
,ntereept the earth's path. Their ignition is sesounteci
for by the best which is necessarily developed in their
rapid rush through upper regions of the earth's atmor
ob.'s. Estimated by the highest standard of
velocity the speed of these bodies is immense. his an
'des full of interest that the atmosphere which eneireles
the globe is able to protest it from that sperms of boo.*
bardment which constitutes a meteor shower. This s n
appear still more remarkable when ere realest that if the
notion moved at • low velocity they might pas. through
the air without being ignited, and would in that use
become very dangerous missiles. The aerolites or
meteoric stones, which have descended on the earth
with explosive Doi., and in substantial frumente are
Instances of the peril which would aria. if all these
bodies were sluggish enough in their movement' to pro-
mos their coherence. Thus the fury of the sulatight
,s our protection. Major Palliear's chilled shells opus
dub through the thickest armour and stoutest tweet St
ihoeburynam ; but the air we breathe is our suMcient
defense against the far awe impetuous projectiles
etas& iradlnti the gloom of as autumnal night. Certain
it is, that amid all the records of them plassomens no
induce is given of any one having bean shot by a
shooting Mar. Meteoris stones are undoubtedly forin
table visitors, being both hot and heavy; bet they at•
happily rare, and moreover afford some peippoiaatios
for the risk which they occasion, by the value which
they passim in the hands of our philosophers. The
Benin,/ between shooting stars and meteoric stooge yr
Is not universally admitted; bat there is
pretty good ground for inferring an intimate seasestice,
and it is to be hoped that • few more years will givaill
add to our knowledge concerning these mysierims
bodies.
The Ti Met remarks :—Ones In • human gmiersticor
sad thrice in • century, this earth has to enter IS
immense dead of stomas revolving roiled the sue, in 55
orbit of the same else as its own, but in a contrary direr
don. Them 1110111.1 ester our atmosphere with& velositgr
of fortzymiles • woad, and destroy themselves, as it
were, their own violence, for, when cease arrested
.bX
our Eraser air, they are instantly melted sad diseirova
in the air. Is it quite impossible that some day lobo
earth may have to encounter more hallq matsrial, to•r•
onennerable to our mundane artilka7 ? &overt alf
there have been; and there evidently is Delimit to their
isle either in history or in misses. for the laws whisk
govern the movement of eVery body in ear solar systemapply equally to an slam and all sebstaesse. from this
°Eli" to groin 01 dusts from a name of metal to •
vapour. Rate is • shower of =Jenks, of =hewn weight
sad iosonesivalils velocity, always in modes fres wall
eaksown battery, and every berme generetiee his. le
ran the gaszatlet. Will this atmosphere at wars shears
preys ea abeshite proteraloa. ••d tuna elf thew Mantas
merit is said to do the shahs of elm and flettniallt
7106 lea grad= at lasat to b.le*d.