Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-12-05
ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE.
from THE ALEXANDRIA eAzErrE.I


of luminous meteors, has long been SUBJECT OF
acknowledged difficulty. DIR. Thomson 'ne &C.
l.bra,ed Chemist, says. that for these 'um''
nam, meteors or fire balls which have IN all ages
besn observed IN the atmosphere, not even con-
jecfurd cause in the slightest degree P'oO'o.e
can he assigned; and their origin and nature
will. psrhau., Tor ages. battle all the attempts
of po,losoohers to expIa,u."' My own m'nd'
hou.xsr. il 40 far entirely satisfied. as unhesi'
ta,nsy to bc!reve that they are s0f'd 00a'es' 'en
dered luminous, in particular states OF '"e az
mo,phere, by the combined agency OF e'ee'r'e''e
and heat resulting from their extremely rapid mo
ton through resisting medium; anu '"a' "e!
,,lv opn,ar TO descend to the earth IN conse-
G,.o.s a, beeomins hid by its couvexity IN their
,,volut,on around it. Some OF the reasons 10
confirmation Of this opinion will endeaVor o''e''
10 p, state. No reasonable doubt can be enter
,.;nsd hut that all the luminous appearances sn'
a., tho different names Of Meteors, Shooting
Stars and Fire balls, are OF precisely tue sa"e
character, only differing 10 SIZE anu IN ues'ee VI
,emp.ra,ure, and consequent briil'ancy, al the
time of being visible. Now ii has been pro'tu'
h, ,ncontrover,ible evidenced that the exPlo
.iops frequently attending the disappearance u
these bodies are Invariably followed by shower
of solid bodies Of a stony or metallic substance
anne of which have even appeared luminous IN
their descent after the explosion, and have oeen
,.tsn nm befure they had had time to COOL
There is no question but that the explosions re-
suit from an inequality Of temperature, aud con
sequent inequality Of expansion between 'ne tx
.ernal and central parts; and, therefore, the ma
tore ,f the carts thrown of must necessarily De
the nature Of the bodies themselves Announcer
argument against their being luminous Sapo7' As
some have supposed, may be drawn from inc
great velocity with which they moved. From
the description given by spectators in Baltimore,
Philadelphia and New York, OF particular me-
tsor 10 wards the North, in their late interesting
display, the explosion of which was followed by
a peculiar appearance continuing some minutes
the same meteor was visible at the same instant
=, each of those places aud at this From the
apparent position Of the body at the time, ITS DIS
lance from the earth could not have been less
than about sixty miles, which distance, connect.
ed with the duration Of visibility. gives them
velocity of more than twenty miles 10 a second,
"A velocity utterly impossible TO be eommuni-
cated 10 kinaiaou, rdpor passing through re-
sis,ins IN dun, as these unqaestonaoiy we're.
The reason of their not being visible until
thew had passed the zenith OF the observer or
were apparently IN their descent, believe to be,
,h,, owing their brihancv To an elevation of tenn
perature, as stated above. the extremely cold
medium through which they must have moved al
tina, attitude above the earth, would reduce Inc
Of that part Of the body whl'h was
continually in contact with this medium, that
is. the fore part.-too low tor 1t to be luminous,
and consequently il could not be seen 10 ITS ap-
proach TO the zenith, although 1t would be alter
i, had passed it. conceive it possible, howe
yer. for meteor to become so intensely heated
a. to he perfectly luminous on all sides. and such
appears To have been the state OF the remarkable
one Of 1885. described BY Cavalo.
The trail Of light following some Of them, in
nv opinion, was the combustion Of hydrogen gas
inflamed by the heat OF the meteor; and the grea,
tenuty of the air at that height with the extreme
cold. would cause the temperature Of the hydro.
yen soon TO become too low for the combustion
TO continue. Hence the reason why the combus
ton should not usually spread beyond the track
passed over By the meteor In two Instances vi
sibe here in the late interesting appearance, one
tow ards the North and one towards the South
East, there was. however. quite an extensive
combustion. passing considerably out OF the track
Of the meteors. These meteors were both unu.
sualiy brilliant.
There being no view that can be taken OF these
bodies, n the present stste Of Philosophy. giving
to them any character save that Of solidity. but
what can be demonstrated to be at variance with
established principles, it becomes an interesting
subject to examine the theorie. that have been
proposed for accounting for them a. solid bodies.
LIST, The opinion that they are the result Of the