The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-07-25
was one Of the most fortunate events OF the kind
which ever occurred In the city.
MErEORs.
Night N0tes-ShO0ting Stars-The Grand Dis
play of the 18th Instant.

play of the 18th Instant.
To many OF the HERALD readers the fact that me.
teoric showers In summer have recently occurred.
may be so surprising as to betray them into SIM
pie ejaculation Of 'absurd;" but despite the gene.
rally accepted theory that such displays are only
common to colder temperatures, 1t Is Its privilege
in advance of all contemporaries. to disabuse the
minds OF readers In this particular and to chronicle
the finest OF these heavenly spectacles.
AS we have surmised, but few Of our citizens were
advised of these interesting visitors, and perhaps
except to beated lovers and wakeful guardians OF
the night" or perchance to some poor homeless wan
derer, the ''shOw" was undreamt Of much less wilt
messed.
On the night OF the 18th Of this MONTH this sum-
mer appearance OF these ''stars" upon heavens
concave stage was Of such grandeur that as they
'shot into space the sight can never be forgotten.
The particulars Of the grand spectacle may gath.
cred from the following special report
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS upi wake upi poung man,
hyou want to see the meteors; wake upl
REpoRTER drowslly !-Meteors. did yoa say sirs
AsTRoNoMER-Yes; and You had better make
haste, for the night is passing rapidly.
RRPORTER-Is it cearP
AsrRoNoMBR-Yes, and the falling stars are play.
ing finely.
AsrRoNoMER-Not very; pleasant cooling wind
is blowing but there is dew in the air. Button up
pretty closely, and you need not fear 1t.
or where9
AsTRONoMER-The telescope can do MS no GOOD:
the top of the house will be the best place.
To the housetOp we accordingly mounted. The
roof s almost covered with dew and the air is quite
our legs and lie down on our backs to watch for
early morning meteors. 1t was the 18th OF the
present month, and as some two or three OF the pre-
vous nights had been well adapted for star gsz.
ing the writer therefore. was ed with quiet salts.
pass without his catching sight of fine display Of
shooting stars, which some people enormously con-
slider can only be seel in the COOL clear, crisp nights
OF autumn. t
ELECTROMAGNETIC you see thats
A sTsoaoMERMit is gone gone already. 1t was Of
beautiful amber color and Of the first magnitude,
equal to the planet Jupiter; shot from about twenty
south twenty-five degrees. 1t Is strange you did not
see It, as it was very beautiful and bright You must
keep your eye skinned as an old sailor would say,
or you'll miss many OF them.
REPORTER-I'll try to.
ASTRONOMER DID You catch that onei :.
REPORTER-N0 How blind am. What did Il
look like, sirP
AsrRoNoMER-Lke the shadow Of star rather
than star ITSELF Ii seemed to be far up among the
stars, so slowly 1t moved, and such fine speck OF
RRroRrER-was 1t among the starsq
.AsTR0NoMER-No oh, no. Had It been as far -
those little stars OF fourth and fifth magnt.
figures would only serve to make it uninseiiisiols
REPoRTER-Ah Did you see thatP How beautk
ful How quick y flashed up and then went ont
men. Did you think to compare 1t In brightness
with one OF the starsP
REPoRTER.No But should think it was about
IKE that bright star yonder-there, beyond the Pole
star. What is the name of II. Astronomer
maaniSed somewhat. It took s you By surprise,
suppose. ! think it was not 80 bright as Capellas
REPonTHRYes;p H it had si1an long tail of light
saw that. Was 1t anything like comet do You
AsrRoNoMER-No probably not. There is but lit.
tie even at this day. understood Of the constitution
Of comets, though the world astronomers and alp
quite permanent, you are OF course aware, chang.
ing but little from day to day until they pass out Of
the neighborhood OF the sun. But the train a.
REPoRrEa-There's another What magnificent
train See yonder there's another
ASTRONOMER-Did you notice that those two last
had parallel courses That is common clrcum-
Do you too II YOU trace those You
about the same place. There
REPoRTER-What splendid one What superb
train 1t had and almost white
AsTRoN0MER-Yes that was as bright as Capella.
II shot from ten degrees north Of Beta Ariets to-
what part Of the train disappeared nrsts
KEpoRTERwNo It seemed to 60 out al together:
star outstrpped the train and vanished by itself al
OF sudden, while the luminous line melted softly
away from the ends toward the MIDDLE, where Il
REpoRrER-Yonr eyes are sharper than minaI
You seem to see great deal more than do. Imuse
gone quickly that seem to have no time to think
about them There goes one, and there, and there's
s ShF Wn ire y sss sssea
about them since the great meteoric showers.
or Ter down again. and let us smoke
little masses Of matter analogous to this which
makes up our EARTH revolving about the sun just 40
much, or shoals, as some have called thems
from their great number: There are evidently many
around the sun passes into these shoals OF asterodai
bodies at certain seasons OF the year. So runs the
Rrong and IL Is every way probable and plausible
are powerfully attracted by 1t and speed toward 70
with great velocity.
and were consumed with fash.
AsTRoNoMER-That Is pretty near the fact Some
fully. The old opinion, which has the greatest 40.
ceptance as to the shooting stars, attributes theiE
causes IN the earth's atmosphere into which they
are suddenly plunged But such gentlemen think
the sHy 1T nab Tnes ascne 'hss
common origin, viz. the condemnation OF an
ethereal medium which nls all space This medium
collects as super-atmospheric envelope around the
tatlon and II small cosmical body is astracted to-
the latter, when the orblla movement brings them
near each other 1t will sweep through this ethereal
to produce in Chemical action resas IN en
OF the extent to which the compression Of the ether
Is Is increased ~ falling meteortes Some dea may
Of twenty miles second wou sHi mpsrs n 70 l sSs
inch, or over $1,000 times the ordinary pressure Of
the atmosphere. It would appear, then, according
to this theory, that these bodies are luminous ONLY
beyond or at the boundary Of ertal atmosphere.
and that they cease to be so on their entrance into
denser air.
REPoRrER-wcll that's very strange. But 10 e
true Astronomer, that some Of the great meteoru
seen In years gone by were nearly mile in DIANE
eters
=. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS has made out somethinn
IKE that. Bat there are astronomers who suggest
pauslbly enough, that much Of the apparent mag
ntuue OF great meteOrs may be due to the rehectvo
property or the condensed atmosphere about them
which acts as a sort Of q mirror they
very Justly remark that although some 0bserver6S.
Judging from their luminosity, have ascribed Ia
them dameters OF eighty-hve to 1876 feet yet fronf
tne manner Ia which 80 many Of them have beenf
lost IN the atmosphere during the great meteoriQ
tnan drops OF rain, so far az actual magnitude -