Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-11-04
M eteorIc Showers.


vember suggests to Us the topic of
meteoric showers, with which that
date is especially connected. Yet
many other days in the year are also
noted for the annual recurrence
Of those displays; and perhaps the
most celebrated date is the 10th of
August, when according to the ancient
Irish legend, ST. Lawrence weeps his
fiery tears. 1t is remarkable fact,
however, that the November shower
is distinguished from all the rest by
a periodical maximum, instead of a
generally uniform annual brllliancy
and extent. This circumstance. to-
gether with the great splendor Of the
maximum November shower, has led
to its particular study by astronomers
and to the determination of many
facts concerning it, foremost among
which are its periodicity and a reason.
able hypothesis as to its nature and
cause.
Extraordinary meteoric exhibitions
are known to have occurred in the fol-
lowing wears: 902, 934, 1902. 1902
1866, 1888, 1902, 1899, 1888 and 1866.
The period of their recurrence is.
ther etore, about thirty-three yeare, if
we may suppose some observations to
be omitted IN our imperfect records.
Tins conclusion was, IN fact, verified
n remarkable manner by the fulfil
ment, in November, 1865, of the pre-
dlction of Prof Newton, of Yale. an
nOuncIng the meteoric shower. The
amusing dispute, after the observance
of the phenomenon in England, be-
tween another distinguished astrono-
mer and the n. Y. Herald, cannot
have passed from the memory of our
readers. Truth and the Herald to-
gether were victorious and the great
shower of 1866 Is an established fact.
All the metoric showers are now
believed to be caused by the passage
of the earth, IN her orbit, through the
orbits occupied by streams Of mete-
ORC bodies, moving, ependently of
terrestrial agency, In planetary cour-
ses round the sun. Humboldt de-
scribed them as pocket planets :"
others have supposed them to be the
remains of shattered planets, stream
along the paths in which they formerly
revolyed and as such they have been
classed both with aerolites and aste-
roids- The spectroscope gives, thus
far, but a doubtful verdict as to their
character; but it is believed to show
the incadescent matter to be some
times metallic and sometimes earthv.
They have been thought, therefore, to
correspond with the aerolites in which
sulphur, lime, silica, alumina, nickel,
iron, cobalt, maganese, TIN and copper
have been found by analysis but no
elements unknown on the globe The
rings or orbits of most periodical
showers are supposed to be uniformly
filled with the meteoric PARTICLES,
which, coming in contact at immense
speed with the atmosphere of our
earth, are raised to glowing heat, and
perhaps dissipated, by the retardation
of their velocity, and thus appear to
Us as annual showers Of falling stars,
radiating from that point of the heav-
ems to which the globe is tending at
time Of transit. The November ring
on the other hand, is supposed to have
at one particular part OF its circum-
ference al unusual aggregation Of
meteoric particles which revolve round
the sun IN 3o4 days, or eleven days
less than the terrestrial wear; so that
each transit of the earth across this
orbit takes place at a point distant
eleven davs from the transit of the
wear preceding. In about thirty three
and a quarter years the circle Is com
pleted, and the earth meets again with
the thickest part of the November
stream. Another theory would eX
plain the perlodicity; namely, that
the meteors of this stream complete
their orbit but once in thirty three
wears and a quarter, which we believe
Is tie view now entertained by Lev
errier, Adams and Herschel. though
Carpenter. Of the Royal Observatory,
adhered to the period of 354 days and
the planetary orbit, as late as Janu-
ary, S66 Leyerrler and y dams agree
in calculating the true orbit of this
meteoric stream to be a long ellipse,
extending from the earth's orbit al its
least. to that of Uranus at its great
est distance from the sun. The most
startling confirmation of their belief,
Is the discovery that a comet seen IN
S65, and known as Temples comet,
IS found to more in erdctly the same orbit
,cith the meteoric bodies, throughout hle1,
entire revoiuttoa l,,,oid the sun. Indepen-
IDENTIFY of this. the Saint Lawrence
meteors of August, and the group of
meteors which frequent the showery
month of \ pril, are already identified
/ in orbit with two bright comets, OBJ
served in 1861 and 1862. The spec
troscope. with shameful fckleness.
/ corroborates the cometary theory, as
1 il had the planetary one and declares
/ the meteors TO be very like pieces OF
| comet. Herschel says, 1T Is not
| impossible that the meteoric particles
are portions af the comets tails
shreds of dismembered mist torn
/ bv the suns disturbing action from
/ the nucleus of the comet, and left mp
on its path like ember. Of smoke-ffakes
In the track of an expiring flame. =
But this hardly agrees with the old
doctrine, not vet discarded, so far As