The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-11-01
THE Expected Meteoric Shower.

The Expected Meteoric Shower.
Professor Ferguson, of the National
Observatory in this city,is making ar
raneements to take scientific observations
on the expected meteoric display in No.
vember next. q4..e
The appearance Of shooting stars is
quito common, but in the months of Au-
gust and November of each year they are
seen in greater numbers, generally about
the 18th Of November. The great me-
teoric shower Of 1899 seems to have
drawn the attention Of astronomers more
particularly to this subject, and from that
time to the recurrence of the meteoric
showers in 1888, and up to the present
day, they have been endeavoring to refer
the different phases and characteristics of
the phenomenon to known laws, and to
establish the exact anniversary of it's ap-
pearance.
Thus far the more brilliant of these
meteoric showers have occurred at inter
walls of thirty-three years; that of 1888
was especially distinguished by the i'm
mense number of moving meteors to be
seen at once, and for the remarkable size
and splendor of many of them. Among
the myriads of blazing meteors visible on
that occasion, one was seen at several
places on the continent. II was recog
nized by several observers by its extra
ordinary size and brilliancy, as well as by
the length of time its train remained visi-
BILE, which was about ten minutes. The
luminous train seemed to follow the me-
teor in serpentine course, and finally
disappeared in vast nebulous cloud,
many times larger than the moon, and
which continued to move onward with
q velocity greater than the clouds.
The meteoric displays of 1899 and 1888
were characterized by the fall Of meteor
ties, which, rushing towards the surface
of the earth with loud noise, penetrated
beneath it several feet The periodicity
Of these starry showers is not so definite
ly ascertained with regard to the day as
the year. They have occurred to a greater
or less degreee in the months of August
and November, from 1888 to 1889; but
the most remarkable of them have ap-
peared on the 18th of November, or be-
tween that day and the l4th.
The next appearance Of the meteoric
phenomenon, therefore, is expected on or
about the 18th of next month. The OBJ
servations of astronomers have demon
strated 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 their
fight centre-in the constellation Leo,
limiting the area Of radiation to the i'm
mediate vicinity of Regulus, in the neck
of the lion. Others assign the radiant
point to the constellation Orion.
The theory most generally accepted in
accounting for the regular occurrence of
meteoric showers is that an unusual ag
gregation of these asteroids exist in the
plane which is reached by the earth at
that point of it's orbit and through which
the earth is several hours in passing. al
though observations have not been suffi-
GENTLY numerous to establish the exact
period of the earth's arrival at this part
of it's orbit. During the fight of meteors
in November, 1888, much apprehension
was manifested from the fear than one or
more of these asteroids would come into
collision with the earth but hitherto no
disastrous consequences have ensued from
this grand celestial display, and although
there is some reason to believe that an
event of this kind is possible, scientific
men unite in the opinion that such ca
lamity is not within the bounds of proba-
bility-National Intelligencer.
Bets of two to one are freely offered ie
this city that the grand display will not
"come Off" We, however, do not doubt
that tho show will take place, and we
cannot help rejecting what o narrowing
thiDg g it would be should one of the mete-
oric bodies, say about the size of South
Carolina, strike in its fight the State of
Massachusetts,, impinging first on Bunker
Hill Richmond Times