Pointe Coupee Democrat. [volume] (False River [i.e. New Roads], Parish of Pointe Coupee [La.]) 1858-1862, 1858-12-11
Shooting Stars-:-Meteors.

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/ Various brilliant bodies have been frc-
quently observed shooting through tho
heavens with terrible velocity, creating
alarm in the minds Of the ignorant, and
cxciting the wonder of the learned as to
their mysterious origin The midnight
Itraveler, far from the abodes of men, Is
sometimes startled with one Of these
bright lights neeting for an instant
athwart their horizon, then as suddenly
disappearing, leaving the darkness yet
more profound These meteors, as they
are called, arc far from being uncommon,
for confined to any locality-they are
seen in every part of our globe. Under
the name of shooting stars" they are
witnessed in clear evenings during every
month of the year, but in this latitude
they are more numerous in the month of
August. They have the appearance of
celestial rockets rushing along Gas has
been measured) at the awful velocity of
59,40o miles per hour. They are strange
messengers of the skies, and no salts
factory theory has yet been propounded
respecting their nature and source.
2
There are other. meteors OF very diff
fercnt character from the shooting stars.
which have the appearance of being in
candesccnt solid bodies Of various colors
rushing with a less, but still great We
locity, through our atmosphere Some
of these are of considerable magnitude,
and in their passage leave long trail
oflight behind; few have been observ-
ed To burst into pieces, with loud re-
port, and then disappear Men Of scien-
tific attainments do not agree regarding
their origin, but quite number enter
tain the opinion tnat they have been pro-
jected from the volcanoes of the moon.
In various parts of the globe what are
called "meteoric stoncs1 have been found.
These arc SO different in their compost
ton from any other stones found on the
surface Of the earth. that it is not diff
cult to conclude they may have been
shot from some celestial cannon, like the
craters OF the moon. This was the opir-
ion Of La Place, and is now entertained
BY cur countryman, Prot. j. Lawrence
Smith, Of Louisville, KY. He has ana
|yzed several Of. these meteoric stones,
obtained from different localities, and
they appear to be Of the same compost
lion, thus pointing to a common origin.
In nature, form and appearance they are
oreigners to the stones and rocks among
which they. have been found; they are
Mostly composed of nickeliferous iron.
With a very thin oxyd on the surface
Their component parts are, iron, $3.50;
'ickel, 1902; cobalt, :43; copper, 90;
l6; silica, '46; sulphur, '0s;
aagnesia, "a; chlorine, '02. Some OF
he nickel and iron were combined with
he phosphorus, forming schrubersitc.
)ne of these meteor stones, found at
knoxville, Tenn, was SO hard that il
vas difficult to cut with fine saw, and
was very white in appearance, owing
0 the presence Of so much nickel. tits
opposed that these were projected dur
ng some great eruption in the moon,
nd being driven far beyond the sphere
t our satellites attraction, may have
cen revolving in paths of their own for
housands Of years, until drawn within
he influence Of the earth, there at last
, find a resting place. This is mere
beory, to be sure; butte DR.. Smith, who
elieyes in it, hecan enjoy aquiet chuckle
having pounded q part of old Luna
his mortar, and dissolved 4 fragment
{ her body in his alembic. This theory
the most. plausible Of any yet present.
], but the subject deserves further In
estigation. 4.
In olden times, the ignorant peasant
regarded lneteors as sign of death
} conspicuous persons, such as chiefs
nd kings; but now they are beheld
'ithont such feelings, but not without
'ondcr. Their mysterious origin i'm