Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1866-11-02

y
tarnished, and their lives unimbittered
by the slanderers biting tongue, heed
the i'll that your own words may bring
upon the mother, the sister, or the wife,
of some fellow creature. t, rs .Ias
lp The Approaching Catastrophe. bua
The Expected .Noteoric iSho@er III No
rcn,bcr4 Interesting ScicatUc Spec 4"
Professor Ferguson, Of the Nntional
Observatory In Washington, is making
arrangements to take scientific obser-
vations ON thcs expected meteoric dis
play this month. The aubject of me-
teors and shooting stars has engaged
the attention OF eminent astronomers
within the last century to greater cx-
tent than, ever before; among them
Professor Olmsted, Twining, and New
ton, have written valuable papers in
connection with it. , sHa .a.dHL
The appearance of shooting stars is
quite, common, but in the months -ot
August and Novemberof each year they
are seen III greater numbers, generally
about the 10th Of August ANA the 18th
of November. The great metcoric
shower of 1893 seems to have drawn the
attention Of astronomers more particu.
larry to this subject, and from that
time to the recurrence Of the meteoric
showers of 1888, and up to the present
day, they have been endeavoring to re.
fer the different phases and charateris.
| tics of the phenomenon to known laws,
and to establish the exact anniversary
of its appearances.
Thus far. the more brilliant of these
meteoric showers have occurred ut in
tervals Of thirty-three years; that OF
1888 was especially distinguished by
the immense number of moving me.
teors to be seen at once, and for the re-
markable size and splendor of many o
them. Among the many myriads o
blazing meteors visible on that occa
sion, one was seen at several places OF
this continent. 1t was recognized by
several observers by its extraordinary
size and brilliancy, as well as by tn,
length of time its train remained visibl,
which Was about ten minutes. TIL,
luminous train seemed to follow tn
meteor in a scrpentine course, ant
finally disappeared in vast nebulou
d,many times largcrthan the moon
which continued to move onwar,
with velocity greater than the clouds
The meteoric displays of 1900 and ls3
were characterized by tho fall of me
tcorites, which, rushing towards tn
surface of the earth with II loud noise
penetrated beneath 1t several feet. Th
periodjcity of these starry showers i
not so definitely ascertained with r,
gard to the days rs to the year. The
have occurred to greater or less degre
in the months of August and Novem
Der, from 1888 to 1889, but the most re
markable of them have appearedon tn
18th of November, or between that dat
and the 18th. - ...
The next appearance OF the meteori
phenomenon, therefore, is expected ol
or about the 18th of this month. TIL
observations of the astronomers hav
demonstrated that the shooting star
are more numerous between midnigh
and sunrise, and the majority of then
agree in fixing the radiant point--tha
point in which the lines described b.
the meteors in their flight center---i
the constellation Leo, limiting the are
of radiation to the immediate vicinit
of Regulus in the neck of the Lion
Others assign the radiant point to tn
constellation Orion. ~ .. ... .
The theory most generally nccepte
in accounting for the regular recur
renee of meteoric showers 10, that al
unusual aggregation Of these asteroid
exist in the plane which is reached b.
the earth at that point of its orbi,
and through which the earth is scvera
hours in passing, although observation
have not been sufficiently numerous I
, establish the exact period Of the earth
arrlVal At TINS part foi It's orbit Dul
ing the flight of meteors in Novembe
! 1888, much apprehension was manifes
ed from the fear that one or more {
these asteroids would come into coll
sion with the earth but hitherto n
disastrous consequences have ensue
= from this grand celestial display, ant
, although there is some reason to b.
, lieve that an event of this kind is poss
, BILE, scientific men unite in the opinio
that such calamity is not within TIL
, bounds of probability.