The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1866-11-30
The November Meteors.

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The November Meteors.
Professor Loomis, of Yale College, un-
der date of November 18th, has sent to
the New York Post the following account
of his meteoric observations:
On Monday night, November 10Th, a
company of observers OF this place coun-
ted 696 shooting stars in five hours and
twenty minutes, which is about four times
the average number visible for the same
period throughout the year. On Tuesday
night, Nov. 18th, another company coun-
ted S81. shooting stars in five hours, which
is Eve times the average number. On
Wednesday night the sky was overcast so
that no observation could be mado. We
conclude, then, that the number of shoot
ing stars visible about the 18th was very
remarkable; nevertheless, this display is
not to be compared with November 18th,
1888, in which the number of meteors
was variously estimated from ten thousand
to thirty thousand per hour.
The. grand display, therefore, which it
was supposed might possibly occur this
year, has not been witnessed in the United
States, probably not in Europe, or it
would have been announced to US by tele-
graph. 1t may have been witnessed in
Asia or the Pacific ocean, but if such had
been the case it seems probable that the
number visible in the United States would
have been greater than it was. The tele
gram in this mornings Herald, purport.
ing to have come from Greenwich, is evi.
IDENTIFY spurious. 1t is, therefore, proba-
BILE that there has not been witnessed this
year in any part of the world display of
meteors at all to be compared with the
grand display of 1888.
AS an unusual interest on this subject
appears to have been excited, some of
your readers may wish an answer to the
question: What are shooting stars and
how do you account for their periodical
display in unusual numbers? Shooting
stars may, without much improperly, be
called little comets. Each meteor is a
small body, generally of very little densi-
ty, revolving about the sun in an elliptic
orbit, and governed by the same laws as
the larger planets, Jupiter and Saturn.
The average numbers Of these bodies
which encounter the earth every day
is several millions, and still there is no
porceptible decrease from year to year.
The total number of these bodies, there
fore belonging to our solar system, must
be reckoned by millions of millions.
The earth in its motion about the sun,
with velocity of nineteen miles per Sc.
cond, is continually encounteriug more or
less of these bodies, and they plunge into
our atmosphere with velocities varying
from ten to forty miles per second, by
which means heat is developed sufficient
to ignite them, and they are entirely con-
sumed, generally in single second, and
at an elevation of about fifty miles above
the earth's surfac. Occasionally we en-
counter bodies of greater density, which
cannot be so readily consumed, and they
reach the earth's surface, sometimes
entire, and at other times in fragmentary
condition. Samples of such meteors are
to be found in all meteorological collections
OF tnlS country ana Europe.
The periodical display of shooting stars
in unusual numbers indicates that they
are not distributed uniformly throughout
the solar system, but are collected in vast
numbers in certain regions, while in 9th.
er regions they are comparatively few.
Shooting stars are annually seen in great
numbers on the 10th of August, and since
each meteor is moving in its orbit with
great velocity, while every year We find
large numbers of them near the same
point of the earth's orbit, we conclude
that they are arranged in ring or zone
intersocting the earth's orbit at q point
which the Garth passes on the 10th Of
August.
Iu order to explain the recurrence Of
an unusal number of shooting stars year
after year about the 18th of November,
we suppose that there is another ring of
these minute bodies, somewhat inclined
to the elliptic. Throughout the different
portions of this ring the meteors are dis
tributed in very unequal numbers, but
there is one portion where the number is
immensely great, and it is this portion
which the earth encounters at intervals of
about thirty.three years. According to
Professor H. A. Newton, the reason that
this display returns only once in the thir-
ty-three years is the following. Each me.
teor of the November group moves in al
orbit which is nearly circular, with mean
distance from the sun either less or lit!
tie greater than that of the earth, and q
period about eleven days less or greater
than ouo year. The earth encountered
the densest portion Of this group in Novem-
Der, 1888 but the next year this portion
passed eleven days before or after the
earth returned to that point of its orbit ;
the following year the difference amour
ted to twenty-five days; SO that at the
end of about thirty three years it must
gain or lose one entire revolution, and re.
turn nearly to the position where it must
encounter the earth. If we receive no
accounts of an unusual display of meteors
this week in any part of the world, we
i. onna,lar.hlo ed