Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1838-05-24
(FoR THE ADvERTIsER.I


lFoR THE ADvERTIsER.J
MIR. Ediror--There appeared in vour n,-
per OF May the Sd, scientific comnun;c.-
ton, signed Phantasmagoria, which I wos
at ilrst rather inclined to regard as hoax.
but The neat, elegant and sober language
III winch the communication was couched.
rs we'll as the effect it has had uDon tho
community, both go to teach me that Twas
mist aiken, aud that the author intended tho
opinions there advanced as legitimate de-
duc'ions from sound scientific princpIes
and that they have hecn so received by
many of his readers. hope he will there
foro excuse me for attempting 10 show
that his opinions will no, bear n strict ana]v.
s's, and that they are utterly at variance
with the generally received principles of
scIcnce. lie says that on the night of the
22h Of April, he saw Il splendid phennmc.
non. resembling n shooting star, in the con.
ISOLATION Hercules. 1t commenced few
degrees west of Vcga-I.yra, shooting ~ n
perfectly straight line, and ending abrun,lv
III Tie remarkable ncbula, between Mn and
Zeia Hercules. The circumstances of ,ho
meteor having swept through the heavens
IN perfectly strai:h hi line, and being sud.
denly arrested by the nebula in Hercules.
nc regards as sufficient ground TO iustifv
INN Ill supposins it not TO have bceu an or
binary meteor, but probably a comet,wl,osc
centre o! revolution was some one or all of
the stars constituting that remarkable ne
bula; and hc happened to sc at the mo-
ment when It lost its centrifugal force, and
suffered the gseati catastrophe of beinr
drawn TO Its centre of rcvo,i,ion ,nJ ,1
Sofoea. In order to prove that this wos mn,
an ordinary meteor, he says, it is q penrr.l
raw oil ncteoric phenomena, that in tha;r
ilIGht, thew describe curved lines win
downward tendency towards the earth. I'm,
the motion of the body iii Question w,s j.,
straight line. divcrsing upwards frnn,
line parallel 10 the plain ofthe horiznn and
forming with 1t an angle of some 8 or IN
degrees. Now Ill this opinion the writer ;s
Ger AMY mistaken, as this law holds a,no,o
no other class Of lneeors exceprinr that
c''ss caled me'foTltes or falling stones.
which always descend i'll an oh,iouc dircc.
.'oh, or IN curved lines with downward
rih'ehcy towards the earth; bn, ,ha, class
OF meteors called "shooiD. stars" scIdon,
1t ever descend in curved lines. but ,r,v.r.a
the heavens in all possible directions i,
apparently straight lines. They descend
10 he sure, towards the earth, bui then thc;r
descent IS always i'll straight lines. Tho
celebrated meteor observed by Cav,JIo -,
windsor, August the 18TH 1888. was nor
maps the most remarkable Witnessed !,
modern times. 1t commenced m the por,h
west. and terminated in the south ems, ,r,'
vcrsnS vast section of the heavens in :,
direction nearly parallel to the horizon.-
ms celebrated philosopher computed tho
oiStaicc "f the meteor at its nearest poin,
10 windsor at l3O miles. the length of ,bc
path 1t described in the heavens AZ $40
''iiies, the diameter OF the luminous BODY
~ ,r,, 80,
oi the earth at ooa miles; and almost all the
great mc'cors appear 10 have had about The
same elevation, but in ali the records of nc-
'roric showers, l find no mention ,nado of
their descending in curved lines Sbowers
oi metcors have fallen in April and Ma
vomher in all ages of the world. Tbeo-
phancs sai.l that i'll the year 472, in Novem-
hcr' near ConstantinoPle, the sky appeared
to he on fire with the coruscations of tho
flying me,eors. Mr.. Eicott, on the I3,h
ot November. 1889. Witnessed. bc,wecn
Cape Florida and the Wes Indies. sn,c,-
lid display of mctcors, aud the same was
also witnessed by the celebrated UumboI,
and NJ. Bompland, in South America
ihcy sometimes appear in great numbers
IN me SKY over the mouths Of volcanos.
witnessed myself the celebrated displav Of
neteors which took place the l:}t of Mo-
vembcr' 1888. and saw nothing of tho
curved lines OF which tho writer speaks.
and hence conclude there was NOTHING in
n meteor observed by the writer TO distiu-
guish il from ordinary mcteors of that class.
excepting il was perhaps little more brill
liant than usual.
Now lot us examine whar arc the nro,,o-
Dilltes of its having been n comet, tho CEN
ire ni whose rCvo!,i'iun was the nch,,, rs
Hercules; and first lei us consider The pro.
oahlc distance Of that nebu!a from rh;s cnrtb
Sirius. which is thought by Philosophers
10 b" the nearest fixed star. is. according to
D mean OF the calculations Of DIR. Herschef,
Blot and DR.. Brewster, mt leas, ,wan,v
million of millions Of miles from this earth:
distance so great, that If il were to fall
towards us ut the rate Of million Of miles
per day, it would take it i3 300 wears to
reach us. ray of light, travelling q. the
rate OF 100000 miles second. would no.
reach US from tho peares, fixed star in ,hrr.