, 1866-10-16
TIE APPROACHING CATASTROPHE
7 he REJECTED r1cteor3c Shower In Mo-
ycmb:r-1ntcrcssi0. Scientific 9peeu-

7 he Exrected Meteor9c Shower In Mo-
womb Scientific 9peeu-
1At1ons-
Professor Ferguson, Of the National OBJ
Bervetory in Washington, Is making arrange-
mcnts TO take scientific observations on the
expected E1eteoric display In November
NEXT. The subject Of meteors mud shooting
Btzrs has engaged the attention Of eminent
astronomers within the last century to \
greater extent than ever before; among
them Professors Olmstcd, Twining and New
/ N have written valuable papers In counec-
7inn With It.
The appearance Of shooting stars is quite
common, but In the months Of August aud
Erester numbers, generally about the 10th Of
August and the 18th Of November. The
great meteortc shower OF 1799 seems to hnye
. drawn the attention Of astronomers more
particularly to this subject, and from that
Time to tho recurrence Of the nctcoric show
er In 1883, and up to the present day. they
have been endeAvoring to refer the diiIescut
phases and characterislLcs Of the phenomenon
to known laws, and to establish the exact
anniversary oflts appearance.
Thus tAf the more brilliant Of these 1uete-
p1lc showers have occurred at intervals Of
4lirty.thrcc years that of 1888 WAS espscl-
n!ly distinguished By the immense number
oi moving mcteoEs to be seen At once, and
for the remarkable size and splcndor of
n amy of them. Among the many mytiada
ene was seen at several places on this con
4lneut. II was recognized By several oh.
servers by its extraordinary size and bril-
3tancy, as veil ~ by the length Of time Its
1EAin remained visible, which WAS about ten
minutes. The IL uminous train seemed to fol-
3oH the meteor In serrentiuc course, aud
1Lauy disappeared In a vast ncbulous cloud,
many tirnes larger than the moon, aud which
c ,uttnued to more onward with velocity
greater II N the clouds.
h1 m rf 1922
T-cte characterized by the fall Of mescositcs,
which, rushing toward the earth With d loud
1o-ee, p:aetrnted bereath It several ftet.
Ihc perfodiclty Of these starry showers il
OF 30 definitely asccztained with regard to
1he day al to the year They have occurred
TO = greater or less degree in the mouths o1
August and November. from 1888 to 1889,
lut the most remarkable Of them have ap.
rtared On the 18th Of November, or between
Il At date and the 18th.
The next appearance Of the meteoric pho.
romop, therefore, Is expected on or about
the 18th ofnext month. The observations oi
1hc astronomers have demonstrated that the
shooting stars arc more nu merous between
them agree that In fixing the radiant point
that point Iu which tho lines described By
the metcors in their light centre--in the
constellation Leo, limiting the area Of rad1a-
tiou to the immediate vicinity Of Rcgulus in
The neck Of the lion. Others assign the
1ca ant point to tho constellation Orion.
accounting Tor tic regular recurrence o. o.
meteoric showers Is TINT An unusual agrrc
cation OF these asteroids ex,8ts In the plane
which Ia reached by the earth 1t that point oj
Its orbit, and through which the earth II
several hours in passing, although ooserra
fions have net been sufficiently. numerous te
establish the exact period Of The eaEtl4's ar
rival ut this part Of its orbit. During tn,
flight Of meteoss In November, 1888, muct
= apprehension WIS manifested from the fea
That one or more Of these asteroids woule
come into collision with the Garth; bu
hitherto no disastrous consequences have
ensucd from this grand celestial display, ant
although there is reason to bei.sve that II
efent Of this kind u possible, scientific met
Got within the bounds Of probability.