The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-10-22
The Expected Mctcoric shower In
November.


Professor Ferguson, Of the National
Observatory, in Washington, is making
arrangements to take scientific obserra-
tions OH the expected meteOric display
in November next. The subject of me-
teors and shooting stars has engaged
the attention of eminent astronomers
within the last century to greater eX-
tent than ever before; among them Pro-
fessors Olmstead, Twining and Newton
have written valuable papers in connee-
ton with it.
The appearance of shooting stars is
quite common, hut in the months of
August and November of each year they
are seen in greater numbers, generally
about the 10th of August and 18th of
November, The great metcroic shower
of 1899 seems to have drawn the atten-
ton of astronomers moro particularly
to this subject, and from that time to
the recurrence of the mcteOric showers
i'm 1888. and mp to the present day, they
have been endeavoring to refer the dlt-
ferent phases and characteristics of the
phenomena to known laws, and to es-
tablish the exact anniversary of Its ap-
pearancc.
Thus far the more brilliant of thcse
meteoric showers have occurred at in
tcrvals of thirty-thrce years; that of
1888 was especially distinguished by
the immense number OF moving meteors
to be seen mt once, and for the remarka-
BILE size and splendOr of many of them.
| Among the mpriads of blazing mcteOrs
visible on that occasion. one was seen
at several places en- this continent. 1t
was recognized by several observers by
its extraordinary brilliancy, as well as
| by the length of time its train remained
! visible, which was about ten minutes.
i The luminous train seemed To follow
the meteor in a serpentine course, and
finally disappeared in a vast ncbulous
cloud, many times larger than the
moon. and which continued to move
onward with a velocity greater than the
/ clouds.
The metoric displays of 1890 and 1893
were characterized by the fall of Inete-
critics, which. rushing towards the sur
! face of the earth with n loud noise,
penetrated beneath il several feet. The
periodicity of these starry showers Is
not sOlefinitely ascertained with regard
| to the day rs the year. They have oc-
Cured to a greater or less degree in the
months of August and November, from
1893 to 1899: but the most remarkable
ofthem have appeared on the twelyeth OF
November, or between that day aud the
fourteenth.
The next appearance of the metoric
phenomenon. therefore, is expected on
or about the tWelveth of next month.
The observations of astronomers have
demonstrated that the shooting stars
are more numerous between midnight
and sunrise, and the majority of them
agree in fixing the radiant pOint-that
point in which the lines described by
the meteOrs in thicr flight ccntrc-in
the constellation Leo, limiting the area
of radiation to the immediate vicinity
of RegIIlus. in the neck of the lion.
Others assign the radiant point 10 the
constellation Orion.
The theory most accepted in count
lHB lOl lll' l'SNidl i''u 'iA'' w 'h''''
oric' showers, is that an unusual aggra
vation of these astcsoids exists in the
plane which is reached by the earth at
that point of its orbit, and through
which the crath is several hours III pass
ing. although observations have not
been sufficiently numerous TO establish
the exact period of the earth's arrival
at this part of its orbit. During the
fight of meteOrs in November, l-:8,
much apprehension was manifested
from the fear that one or more Of these
asteroids would come into collision
with the earth; but hitherto no disas-
trOus consequences have ensued from
this grand celestial display, and al
though there is some reason To believe
that an event of this kind is possible,
scientific men unite in the opinion that
such calamity is not within the
bounds of probability.