The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-09-08
MelcOrs.


which there has been more theory, and |
less of fact, founded upon observation
and experience, than that of shooting |
stars as they are Familiarity called.
Many men, ON this as well as all other
subjects, have theories oftheirown, con-
ceiyed without reflection. nurtured
without investigation, and matured by
repetition with which they delight to
regale you.
Men of experience and fact, pass them
by as they would gas bag, well know
ing how little would be lett of them,
should an unfortunate puncture, ex-
plode their fantasies.
Meteors are those apparently evan
escent bodies, that shoot across the
heavens, in all directions, and generally
leave luminous streak for q very short
time after they have passed. These
meteors are nothing but small planets
revolving around the sun. Their orbits
extend to all distances from the sun,
from Mercury the nearest, to Neptune
the farthest known planet. Their num-
Der is Theoretically great, moving in
regular rings or orbits about the sun.
These bodies being part Of the great
creation belonging to our system, orig
inally moved in orbits as regular as the
great planetary bodies. But being So
exceedingly small in comparison with
the great members of the system, in
Vulnerable numbers of them in passing
near the larger planets have been drawn
from their course, and thrown into diff
ferent, and various obits, in every con-
ceivable direction. For an understand
ing of the phenomena attending these
meteors or shooting stars it will be nee
essary to digress little from the SUBJ
ject. You all know when you pour
water Upon recently burnt lime, the
mass becomes very hot. Here the wa
ter combines with the lime, forming
solid hydrate of lime. The water passes
from liquid to solid state, its capaci-
ty for heat is diminished, and the latent
heat is rendered sensible. II you ham,
mer q piece of iron, it becomes very
hot. Here again it passes from rarer
to denser state, its capacity for heat is
diminished, and the latent heat is rem
dered sensible. Again if you take a
tube closed at one end, and have a
piston fitted to it, hcllowed out at the
bottom, and then put some finder or
1 ~, tho hntfo.,, of THE y,,cfo,, apI
force it down in the tube, and sud-
denly withdraw it, the finder or punk,
/ will be found to be on fire. Or if you
rub two sticks together briskly the wood
can be set or fire by the friction. In
both of these cases, the air, or air and
wood pass from a rarer to a denser
state, the capacity for heat is diminish
| ed, and the latent heat is rendered SEN
sible. One other principle. If you light
the end of stick and leave spark up
on it, and move it around in a circle
slowly your eye follows it around and
you see the isolated sparks, wherever
the end OF the stick is, all the time; now
if you whirl it rapidly, you will see. the
spark in a continuous circle. This is
| owing to the fact that the image of the
| spark remains on the retina of the eye,
a time, owing, to its intensity, after
the object has passed. Again, if man
Comes suddenly upon another, and
murders him; if you examine the eye of
the murdered man, with powerful
microscope, you will still find the image
| of the murderer imprinted upon the
retina of the murdered man.
The atmosphere extends from the
| surface of the earth about one hundred
| miles. s When these small bodies NOV
| ing, as we have seen, in all directions,
passing through the upper portions of
our atmosphere, by friction and con-
densation of the air, become gradually
incandesccnt, assuming their greatest
brightness when passing the densest
portion, and as gradually fade away
when they leave it. When they strike
deeper into the atmosphere, the heat
sometimes become so intense as to
melt these bodies, and they are seen as
it were to burst and fall in drops.
Again, some being of more refractory
substance, resist fusion and fell to the
Garth. There are many instances on
record OF these bodies having fallen to
the earth weighing from an ounce to
sixteen hundred pounds.
These exhibitions of shooting stars,
are particularly remarkable about the
10th of August, and the 18th of Novem-
Der, each year, when the earth ap-
proacbes near these rings of revolution.
But the greatest exhibitions take place
about the middle of November, every
thirty-thrce years. One of these exhi-
billions took place in 1883 and the last
in 1866, when hundreds of meteors were
visible at the same time. Occasionally
one appears rs large as a full moon,
presenting one of the grandest specta-
Giles imaginable, leaving an impression
on the eye, that remains sometimes
more than minute after tho object has
past. The tails of comets, and the zodi-
acal lights present analogics to which
may hereafter allude. .i.. so
| . a.rr ..a.r JUNIUs JR.
| PAIN kILLER.--In another column