Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-11-05
MErEoRs, AERoLIrEs, AND SHOOTING STARS

have from time to time been witnessed those strangely
irregular, wandering lights which, tayersing the hea
vens suddenly knde into blaze above us, and then
suddenly are lost again in darkness In former ages
such wonders deemed the harbingers Of dire events
and were hailed by mankind with trembling hearts
ominous Of some great calamitywar, famine, pesti
lence But the gradual though rapid advancement Of
civilization and Of science has banished such ancient
persttions, and light is beginning to be shed upon the
true nature Of these singular phenomena An interest
ing article published in the London Quarterly Review In
relation to the past history OF this wonderful branch OF
science has appeared in the Eclectic Magazine and from
we gather few interesting facts relating to the sub
ject.
To the final establishment Of the existence Of aeroites
or falling stones chiefly the jealous scientific re-
search which has since been given the subject of me-
teors These falling stones much less frequent than
the meteorc lights which blazed before the eyes Of ma
items; and it is only within the last half century that
science has admitted them within her pale-relucantly
IL might almost he said, well tardily and relying
even more On proofs furnished by the physical characters
OF the falling bodies than the historical evidence of
their descent Among the ancients indeed reports
listed OK masses Of stone Of various sizes falling from the
sky, preceded by vivid lightning and explosion These
stones were made the subject Of supersous belief and
were Seheraed Tor their supposed divine origin Until
very recently however, the theories Of the naturalsts
respecting meteors went little beyond certain vague
ons OF nhammable gases electrical actions in the
atmosphere; but when it fairly admitted that me.
teors were sometimes accompanied by the precipitation
OF stones or earthly metallic from the sky
ana that the composition OF these bodies was of spr
lar and very similar character, it became obvious that
new elements we're concerned Of which science was
yet cognizant
The spirit of inquiry being awakened on the subject Of
meteors IT natural history for evidences of
similar phenomena in prior ages; and find that while
the records Of Greece and Rome and OF the middle
OF Europe furnish only with scattered notices these
aerotes it is far otherwise with the Chinese There
exist among this singular people authentic catalogues Of
the remarkable meeors of all classes aeroltes included
which have appeared there during period of . 400
years. 1t is only within very period that the
science of Europe has placed itself in competition with
these extraordinary documents. The catalogue OF au-
thcntc instances Of aeroites by Chadn in 1894 formed
epoch in the study of meteorites Until this moment
scarcely of science had given assent to or even
considered the subject matter Of evidence and
was not until the chemists crucbe and the scrutiny Of
the mneraogst disclosed the singular character of these
stories that the belief which had been so long denied
was entertained A stone which fell at Void Cottage
Yorkshire whose fall by persons was what
contributed most explicitly to the conversion A few
months after fall of 600 900 stones occurred in
Normandy, and other instances multiplied every side
The largest aerolite yet known is at Otumpa in Brazil
and is estimated to weigh Il, 600 pounds.
Twenty different elements have been discovered in
aerotes all of which actually exist in the EARTH though
never similarly combined there Iron is the substance
most largely predominant. Seven other metals-coppcr
TIM nickel, cobalt, chrome manganese, and moydbena-
enter varousy into their composition Their specific
gravity varies greatly according to the nature and pro-
s.
times the weg ht of water.
number of theories respecting the nature and origin
of aerolites have been offered At time vague no
ton prevailed that they be the product of our own
yocanoesstones forcbly elected thence partakinr for
time Of the motion of the EARTH but in the returning
to it. This opinion has longer advocate. A Sc
cond hypothesis long since relnquished as untenab
was that stones do not actually fall but that lightning
electricity IN meteoric shape impinging upon the
EARTH fuses the earhy and metallic minerals the spot
to admit Of their reconsideration in new forms
Another solution still, which, however, was not long
maintained founded the hypothesis atmospheric
origin assuming that the elements of which aerolites are
composed might be slowly absorbed into the atmosphere
and retained there in state of extreme diffusion until
accidental electrical other agency should cause
their sudden aggregation and precipitae them to the
earth. The idea of lunar orig next into vogue
and discussed and advocated by philosophers Of
Lapace Poisson Blot and Ber7elius supported
the following theory 1t is well known that the surface
Of the presents to the aspect of mountains
great height and containing immense craters
The stones might be projected thence mo atmospheric
pressure existing reard their progressl with force
enough depass the limits Of the moons attraction and
within that of the earth According TO these cal
cuatlons velocity five six times as great as that OF
ball issuing from the mouth Of cannon would be neces
sary to produce such result This lunar theory TO say
the least of H. has remained stationary Even with on,
present powerful telescopes proof has ever been OBJ
tanned of present volcanic action the moon and IL has
been calculated by Oilers and sher distinguished astron-
ouers land believe not dsputed that the initial We
octy at the to satisfy this condition be twelve
Il
and that if this prciectle force existed the masses
would be cast upon the EARTH but would revoye
orbits round the sun.
Still another hypothesis is that which supposes these
aerotes be smaller fragments Of that ancient
planet between Mars and Jupiter the disruption which
has produced the numerous small planets asteroids
whose eccentric orbits crowd each other in this part of
the heavens This belief confirmed by the late dis
covery of eleven others in the nteranetary space
some of them small TO defy admeasurement;
and IL these truly fragments of larger body might
we not reasonably infer that the dsruptye force which
separated them must have projected into space
fragments still smaller and might some Of their or.
bits be such as bring them within attraction Of the
earth Like the lunar hypothesis, this remains
speculation If there be other portions Of reyolv
ing round the ragmcntary otherwise il is easy
conceive that the progressive motion of the earth may
bring il into such proximity to their numerous and
centric orbits rs them to defect more or less
from their course know to be sometimes the case
with comets while in the vicinity of large planet some
actually impinging upon the earth, others simply becom
ing luminous through certain OF their orbits Me-
teorites according to this view approach nearest the
character and condition Of comets This coscdI theory
has OF late years taken the lead Of all other hypothesis
The meteoric globes ireballs those in closest
connexion with aerolites inasmuch we have well
tested instances of falling at the time Of such ap
pcarances and in sequel to explosions which would
10 rend asunder larger volumes OF matter They appear
10 move in the areas of great circles Their apparent
disk sometimes exceeds that Of the full moon giving
the height Of ITO miles diameter Of a mile Their
height often far beyond the limits Of atmosphere
Their velocity approximates TO that Of the planets aud
their visible duration seldom exceeds n few seconds
Taking these in connexion with falling stones
the probability is that they always associated with
some of matter analogous that Of known aeroes
which usually escapes detection either by falling out
human sight by the passage forward OF the meteor
in iteo rbit without preciDitaton of its