The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-11-22
What orc lEelcnr-s

A letter from Professor LOomis, of Yale Col
lege, to the editors of the New York Post
presents the meteoric theory more intclligibly'
than we have elsewhere seen it stated. We
copy as follows
JAS an unusual interest in this subject ap-
pears to have been excited, some of your read
ers may wish an answer to the questions, What
are shOotn: stars? and, How do we account for
their periodical display in unusual numbers?
Shooting stars may, without much improprie-
ty, be called little comets. Each meteor is a
small bo y, generally of little density, revolv-
ing about the sun in elliptic orbit and gov
erned by he same laws as the larger planets
Jupiter and Saturn. The average number of
these bodies which encounter the earth every
day is several millions and still there is no
perceptible decrease from year to year. The
total lumber of these bodies, therefore belong
ing to our solar system, must be reckoned by
millions of millions. The earth in its motion
about the sun, with velocit. OF nineteen miles
per second, is continually encountering more
or less of these bodies, and they plunge into
our atmosphere with veloc.ties varying from
ten to forty miles per second, by which means
heat is developed sufficient to ignite them and
they are entirely consumed, generally in q
single second and at an elevation of
about fifty miles above the earths sur
face. Occasionally we encounter bodies of
greater density, which cannot be so readily
consumed, and they reach the earth's surface,
SOlneblnleS bHUre, ana at ObilcE IlnleS III traC-
mentary condition. Samples of such meteors
are to be found in all the large mineralogical
collections of this country and Europe.
The periodical display of shooting stars in
unusual numbers indicates that they are not
distributed uniformly throughout the solar svs-
tenn, but are collected in vast numbers in GER
tain regions, while in other regions there are
comparatively few. Shooting stars are usually
seen in great numbers on the tenth of August;
and since each meteor is moving in its orbit
TrTlfh q
large numbers of them near the same point of
the earth's orbit, We conclude that they.are ar
ranged in ring or zone, intersecting the
earths orbit at point which the earth passes
on the tenth of August
In order to explain tue recurrence of an un-
usual 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 ecliptc. Through
cut the different portions of this ring the me-
teors are distributed 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 II.
A. Newton, the reason that this display returns
only once in thirty-three years, is the follow
ing: Each meteor of the November group
moves in an orbit which is nearly circular, with
mean distance from the sun either less or
greater than one year. The earth encountered
the densest portion OF this group in November,
1888; but the next year this portion passed
eleven days before or alter the earth returned
to that point of its orbit; the following wear the
difference amounted 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 en-
counter the earth. If we receive no accounts
OF an unusual display of meteors this week in
any part of the world, we shall look with con-
siderable confidence for such display on No
vember IA, 1867.