Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1853-03-31
lflislellaneolls.
Meteors.

| In our last we gave some accounts of various
meeors which have fallen in different parts of
the world. n earlier and later times. The aero
Iite or mettoric stone, has b EN- regarded n
different thing from the ordinary shouting star.
The meteors noticed in the paragraphs from ex-
change papers. one Of them seen IN Texas and
the other IN B .Iftst seemed to have been, as we
remarked, of an intermediate character blaz'ng
along the atmosphere with brilliant light, ap
preaching nearer 10 the earth apparently than
the shooting star, and exploding with a loud re.
port like The aerollte.
To account for meteoric stones, theory, at
one tine considerably credited, ascribed their
origin TO the Volcanoes IN the m0pn Whenever
they have faIen they have a m'neraloglca
character so similar, that II is perfectly leglt
mate to infer the identity of their origin. They
are so unlike any stones which are found on or
below the surface of the earth that it is Lut a
natural suggestion that they originate else
where. even if it should be admitted, as snne
have supposed, that they could have been car.
rpd up from the earth. by so ne storm nr whrl-
wind L4pace, the celebrated astronomer and
mathematician, computed tia, u ston" thrown
from he surface of the moon with the velocity of
about mile and half er second, would be
carried beyond the sphere Of the moons at,rac
ton and it thrown IN the right direction would
tail to the earth Of necessity The volcanic
character Of the moon is ganerally admitted
And when the INTENSITY ri volcanic powers con
sidered, and the comparatively small force Of
gravlAllon at the surface Of the ninon taken INTO
the account the attainment nt tie requisite
veloc'cry see ls 10 be at least, moi Impossible.
Ano,her theory, and as We suppose one more
generally received, is the asterodal theory. II
is wc known tha' the four : a planets dis
covered ,ariy IN the present century hose
pblts he between ihuse of Mas and Jupiter
are regarded as fragments ol larger planets
supposed t, have on e occupied that r'glnn IL
planetary space. The reasoning oy w'nch tn'S
conclusion Is reach d. 1t would be too Gi1ch II
dirresslan to INTRODUCE here. Suffice it to say
that the discovery within the last seven years
Of seventeen additional asterodal planets IN the
same general region. very strongly corroborates
that hvphotnesls.
The II vocates of the asterodal origin ut
aerolltes, suppose them to be only smaller trag
mems Of the explored planet, which have 'een
wandering for ages, in orbits deviilng more or
less from that OF the orglnnl planet, unit they
have been dawn within The sphere OF the earth's
attraction, and thus have fallen to its surface
The obllqnity of their descent passing anos,
> horizontally Tor a long distance before falling
tavors the supposl1lon that they were describing
=" " Course along the same track with the cath
when drawn within It's attraction. And if the
y same direction would be tuken, as some suppose
BY stones falling from tue moon,-it shows II
either case that their origin cannot be ascrlbrc
- to any atmospheric concretion, nor yet TO ter
80 restal volcanoes, for upon either Of these sup
positions their descent must be nearly perpendlc
ular.
a Shoollng stars" also, as we remarked in oul
id previous article, are now proved to have the
d, origin somewhere beyond the limits of our owl
IL atmosphere. The remarkable shower of No
ut vembe, l3, 1888 and The less wonderful yet YER
Is considerable fall Of slnilar metaors on The cor
Ie responding night Of The following year, with tn
t occasional appearance Of them abost the sam