Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-11-13


1t is generally known that learned astron-
omers have announced that the mornings of |
to-day, yesterday and to-norrow, between
midnight and daylight, would probably |
furnish a meteoric shower Of much splendor |
and brillianey. It did not occur yesterday
1T may occur before this reaches the eye
Of the reader-or it may occur within the
next day or two, or not at all. However
this may be, in view of the general, often-
times startling interest these showers create
among the people, the following facts, given
by Professor NEWTON, Of Yale College, who
knows all about it, viii prove of interest:
On the 18th Of November, A. D. 1888,
was a remarkable shower.
A similar display Of les intensity was seen
over all Europe on the morning of the 18th
of November Of the year previous.
On tie morning Of November 18th, A.
d. 1899, a shower very like that Of the year
1893 was witnessed in various paris of
America, and was particularly described by
HUMBOLDT, who Vas then in South Aneri-
ca.
He refers to a similar display in A. d.
1766, but the day of the year is not given.
An unusual number of shooting stars
was noticed on the 9th Of November, A. D.
1898.
The Chinese records state that several
hundred shooting stars appeared on the
night of the 9th of November, A. d. 1902.
This and the following dates are, for con-
yenienee, given in new style7.)
Both in China and in Europe large num-
bers of shooting stars were witnessed on the
Sd of November, A. D. 1888.
On the morning of the 3lst of October, A.
d. 1866, a NEST remarkable shower WIS
witnessed in Europe.
A similar or t shower occurred on the
morning of October Goth, A. D. 1901.
Falling stars are reported ,on the 23d of
October, A. d. 1l01.
The Chine records speak of thousands
of shooting stars on the Doth of October, A
ID. 1902.
Both in Europe and in China large nrm-
bers Of shooting stars were seen on the 19th
of October, A. D. 1884,
In China they were seen October 2lst, A.
d. 93l.
But one Of the most remarkable showers
as well as the first shower Of this seri-s o.
which we have any account, was on the
morning of October 18th, A. d. 902.
These years, it will be noticed, show very
distinctly a cycle of about the third of a
century, while the day of the month hes adj
yanced quite steadily at rate Of about three
days in a century. It should be added that
this list is not made up of selections from
large me- } of similar records. 1t includes
all the known occurrences of this phenome-
non between A. D. 902 and A. d. 1899, that
have happened within ten days of the
proper time of the year of this shower.
After A. d. 1888, the number of meteOrs
seen on the morning Of the 18th Of Novem-
Der, though, for few ye..rs, comewhat greater
than we see on ordinary nights. no one could
claim unusual numbers on tnat morning
For The las. three or four yelrs, b5Ueue-, there
hare ben distina iRdioIiicrS Of the returR Of
tks NGUemJeT indoors. This was particularly
mantle last year, inasmuch IS single OF
aervers, on the morning of the 18th of No
vember, witne ed aboat twenty-five mete-
ors per hour. A psrtv of four per ons, at
New Haven, counted two hundred and
thirty-eiTht in an hour, aad a party at
Greenwich Oh ervaiory, counted two hum
bred and fifty in an hour. The numbers
are, probably, five or six times IS greet es
would be obtained on ordinary mornings.
paths diverging from the constellation Leo,
which is popularity of the November
shooting stars.
We c1nnOt predia Wih oaflenee greater
display this ye1T. The thirty-three years
cycle ends in 1866, rather than 1865, and
hence such display may be looked for.
But we must remember that for many re-
turns of the period since A. d. 902 we have
no account of corresponding shower.
But for the experience of last year, the
morning of November 18th would be named
as the time to look for the meteors. But
their occurrence then on the 18th, and not
on the 18th, makes it necessary to look for
them on either morning this year.
They cannot be expected in great album
dance till the constellation Leo is above the
horizon, that is, until after eLereH o'clock. In
previous displays the maximum has usually
been between three o'clock and dawn.
Previous displays have continued several
hours and have been visible over consid-
cradle regions. Bthe lime Of the sh-wer tc Is
this gear bettcesa the mornings Of the 1Gh and
14th, 10 may dppeT only to those on n; Oiher
side of the e1rth. Thus, in 1882, the display
was exclusively European, although We had
clear skies, while in 1888 this continent
alone enjoyed the exhibition. So, in 1893,
a grand display was witnessed in America,
while in Europe few neteors only attracted
the notice of observers.
Shooting stars appear in the upper re-
gions of the atmosphere. They rarely de-
Scead belog height Of thirty miles, and probG-
big do not appear at a greater Insight than one
hundred and Twenty-Five miles They move
with great rapidity, having an average We
locity of at least twenty-five miles a second,
nearly or quite one hundred times the or
binary velocity of a cannon bali. In 1868
a considerable number of the November
meteors were observed simultaneously at the
Observatory and Coast Survey Office in
Washington, and by Professor GUMBIERE,
Mr.. MARSH, and others, at Haverford, Penn
sylvania and Philadelphia. From these
observations the true heights Of between sew
enty and eighty miles have been computed
The mean altitude at appearance was ninety
six miles, and at disappearance, sixty-one
miles. These results seem to show that the
November meteoTs are fifteen or twenty
miles higher than those of August.
1t is generally admitted that shooting stars
are small bodies moving in orbits like plan
cts or comets, which encounter the earth and
are burned up, or are dissipated, in the up
per regions of the atmosphere. Groups of
such bodies moving together, in a common
direction, produce the August and Novem-
Der exhibitions.
The true November meteors proceed in
lines radiating from the constellation Leo,
or more exactly from the sickle in Leo. This
ragiation is due &c perspective-the paths
being all parallel to each other
THE OIrESTYON OF IMMIGRATION