The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-11-15
THE METEORS =.
Interesting Scientific SpeculatIOns Concerning
Them Observations Made at HaVerfOrd
College Yesterday Morning.


OF our witnessing only the more brilliant
meteors, and the magnitude of these was
greatly reduced by It, III the early morning of
yesterday had been clear and dark, we are war
ranted in believing that the display would nave
EotewoTthy fact TN" that VI the U' shower 0 of stars
reached its maximum at about half-past
O'Clock yesterday morning, which was two
hours only after the time foretold by the astro-
nOmeTs. Whatever may be the true theory or
these interesting phenomena, 1t Is certainly a
grand triumph for science that It's devotees
should be able TO predict with almost absolute
certainty the recurrence of On astronomical
phenomenon whose period or cycle is thirty
four years. especially when the data on which
their calculations were based were SO oimperlect,
and the laws governing these wandering bodies
so difficult of interpretation.
The theories which have been advanced to
solve the interesting problem OF meteoric
showers are various and conflicting. BY the
ancient Greeks, 1t was believed that the me-
teors were generated by vapors ascending from
advocates until within recent period. By
other wise men of the olden time, it was
rom the sun. Kepler, who did much towards
laying the foundations of modern astronomy,
adhered to the belief adopted in the Middle
Ages, that they were in no definite way con-
nected with our planetary system
Careful observations prove conclustvely, how
ever. that they are not OF atmospheric origin.
II has been established by Brandes, Hets,
Schmidt Olbers, Herschel, and Professor New
ton, that the average height of shooting stars
on their first appearance is y miles, while they
disappear usually at an eleEatlon OF o. miles
by ordinary shooting stars, Of which about t-
teen per hour can be seen by careful observer
at almost any time, Is generally many miles In
length, the stars moving over IL at an average
velocity of about "a miles per second. Tue
periodic meteors approach the earth much
nearer than ordinary shooting stars, are of
gaseous material, and range between 100 and
$4,000 feet in diameter But at the altitude at
which shooting stars usually appear, the at
mosphere is too attenuated to support the
Vapors arise from the earth Another theory,
which has found much favor in times past-to
the effect that these curious bodies have been
fp6 yTln no NnnGn on a aud
moon-has likewise been demolished by recent
observations.
which has been advanced, is that the solar sys-
tenn contains numerous zones or clusters of
matter which revolve arolnd the central sun
of the system in regular orbits, the same as the
earth and other planets. AT certain periods,
the earth, in the course of her path, encounters
these zones, sometimes barely grazing their
edges, and at other times passing fairly through
them. When the earth chances to be in that
portion of her orbit which iutersects these
meteoric zones the masses of matter are iguited
by the friction of the atmosphere, and thus be-
come visible, the smaller and more Irregular
ones being termed shooting stars while those
of larger dimensions, and those which appear
in immense numbers at stated intervals, are
denominated meteors. AT times, these wander
Ing masses are SO large that the heat generated
by their passage through the air Is insufficient
TO Yaporize the whole of their substance and
they fall to the earth as aerolttes, their compo-
sition being found to be metallic and magnetic
iron the oxides of TIM silcates oiVarlous metals,
The neriods at which the earth encounters
several of the meteoric zones have now been
ascertained with tOlerable degree or GER
tainy; and one OF the most n, ~ o % laSCs
teors follow the track of certain comets IL is
believed by astronomers that th0se Whlcn APP
of the great comet of 1862 whose period is l42
years; while the November meteors follow
minute telescope comet known as Il. 1856.
There are five different orbits which they could
pursue, and appear at regular intervals Of 33 or
"a years. The observations of the meteors
which appeared in Europe and Asia last year,
have established the fact that the orbit OF the
November stream Is very elliptical and that in
the interval between one display and the next
they travel out to the remcter portions OF the
solar system past Mars Jupiter ana @ saturn TO
miles from the earth. In January, 1866, 1t Is
supposed that the comet which travels In their
vanguard cross ed that point in the earth's orbit
which the latter reached on the l4th OF Novem-
ber, and that the host of diminutive comets. or
meteors, followed closely after It, Hence the
earth on that day last year plunged into the
meteoric stream, which is 40 600 miles In thick
ness and swept along 1t at the rate otl600 miles
ner rninute IL is probable that, in November,
1888, the Garth intersected the train of meteors
following In the wake of the comet, at point
very near that body, thus accounting for the
| magnitude and brilliancy of the display OF that
Some interesting and valuable observations
| of the meteoric display Of yesterday morning
| were made at Hayerford College' near thl? CITY.
| V. Marsh, with a number of Assistants. Inc
| latter observed and mapped the path OF the
O'clock mean time, Philadelphia, on the even
| ing of The 18th, BY 20 minutes past on the
MAPPED the exact path Of So Of them His OBJ
serVation showed the point OF radiation to be
| the centre OF the space enclosed by the
| "Sickle" In the constellation Oh Leo
circumstance agreeing precisely, with tne
| years The exact point of radiation was
! in l48 degrees of right ascension, and "a degrees
of north declination, near the star a. This point
| is directly over the point in space towards
| which the earth was moving at the time After
| q 80 O'Clock the meteors increased in numbers
! SO greatly that. by O'clock, IL was found Inn
! possible to trace their paths, and nothing
/ could be done except to count them
| About 430 one of Mr.. Marsh's assistants
| counted as many as SO within minute
| hemisphere this would render the whole
| number which appeared during thatt time about
! 200. Professor Gummere counted about 1000
| previous to o'clock, and mapped out the
| making their appearance at the rate Of from
| $50 to 300 per minute and IL was impossible to
count them any longer About o'clock, an OBJ
| server at Cressonville counted lob within Two
minutes, which would make the number APP
peaIing in the whole hemisphere about 26O per
| minute. .
The observations made In and near this city,
taken in connection with the results attained
at other points will doubtless enable astrono-
| meIs To settle, with greater certainty IMAM
| heretofore the laws which govern the pheno-
| mena of shooting stars. Previous to IL O'CLOCK
last night, several meteors OF more lhhn OF Dr.
binary brilliancy were observed by persons on
the streets, and also during the hours succeeu-
ing that time; but the shower reacheu its
maximum yesterday, morning, ana Lhose VINO
sat up to watch for the shooting stars were NOT
as amply rewarded this morning as they were
! yesterday.
Sir Richard Mayne, g. b., the Chief Com
missioner Of the London Police, has ~ ias'
made up his mind TO have the principal ponce
stations connected with his Office IN WMtehali