New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-09-07
9IETEORs OF AUGUST
Professor Forshes's Lecture to the Poly
technic Glass.

9IETEORs OF AUGUST
Professor Forshey's Lecture to the Poly
technic Glass.
Nv young Polytechnic audience-A few
ramblings round the field of science will be
| Instructive TO those who aspire to be en-
| lightened men, as well as good artisans or
| farmers. While upon the field l shall be
able only to speak of what nature or art
presents in passing; and hope to convince
| you that the book of nature, and the book
| of art, too, are ever open to him who will
keep his eyes open and learn to read the
| lessons.
AS vet l have seen no lesson in art worth
| transcribiHg for you, but nature has been
| prolific OF her grand lessons.
On the evening of the tenth of August,
as we assembled the river, was startled by
| a splendid meteor, with long white train,
| that streamed leisurely up from the north
east, and, passing halt way up the northern
heavens, melted away most gracefully in
the western sky. l called the attention of
our young assistant engineers, and nearly
all saw the brilliant visitor. Would that
| my class had been present, for they would
have heard my lecture as we continued OBJ
servatiOns 1t was somewhat as follows:
Look out now while l talk to you and
keep good watch of the northern and
eastern heavens, for there will be other Wis
tors Of the same kind during the evening
and the night, and generally they will
start just below yon constellation, Cassie
peia in the milky way, now just rising
above the horizon.
How do know l assure you l know
by many years of observation on the tenth
of August. At some time during the night
they usually are more numerous than the
ordinary, but at intervals Of only few
minutes all night. l have been seeing them
annually, when the sky has been fair, Tor
these thrty-tive years. The period has
been we'll established by observers all over
the world. Look, look y and another
started from the vicinity of Persea's head,
just below Cassiopeia, and travelled more
slowly than have ever seen a meteor 1t
was visible about five secOnds-long enough
for all to be called to witness its The train
was not so long, but entirely characteristic.
The pale white streak it left, and the phos-
phoric color and the fading slowly away
are all proofs of the class to which this me-
teor belongs. This was the fourth of our
watch, but more noted than the two pre-
viOus.
As was saying, these meteors begin 20
be seen as early as the first dav of the
month, but are rare, increasing in frequen-
cy up to the tenth, when they are most fire.
quent and brillianta and generally disap-
l have seen only two that were certainly OF
this class, and since the nighS GS the tenth,
and this 80 August 90
In the year 1887 was q gDung }gofessog,
Qery Young for che position | was filling
and was ambitious to gill with credit my
exalted chairo which embraced aStronomyo
On clear nights was vigilant in observas
lions, and was fortunate in seeing a num-
Der U9 very bright meteors early in 8ugusr,
or IN, cha rariOp nr S.Qoy,oin THE
was at Jehegsop GoJirgeo NashingtosAo Miss
sissppiv
Again, ON the senGh OF a3agas9, 1888, was
on watch, and saw 9be return Of 3he display
in all it's beauty ON Che pSaires @f Rock
Island, in blinoiso By GLOSS observation J
fixed the point of origin og divergence near
the star Eta below the Sword cluster, in
che constellation Perseaso claim TO have
been the frse American observer that de-
termined the radiant point, and recorded
these August meteors5 and Enough they
were observed by two German astronomers
the year beforeo3 had no knowledge of their
laborss bu8 was Sptirely original jp wB disc
coveryo
Yeap after scar naveQontinuetl nlv 90
servatioDso and qnany times base published
my results. 10 1910, I was among the wise
men and doctors of Philadelphia, hearing
them and asking chem questions and on
the night of August 10. was SO fortunate
as to enlist the aid of the able astronomer,
Sears c. Walker, and Alexander Dallas,
Bache, and others-for the nights observa-
ton at the High School 9bservator@ of
Philadelphia, and | contributed an elab-
crate paper on the subject of these August
meteors to the American Phlosophic Socie-
ty, then the highest American authority
1t was published in the Transactions" soon
after.
What are these meteors?@ YOU say. This
is q very hard question; but I'll give You
the notions set forth IN that paper, which,
in the main, / believe have been admitted
among men OF science and philosophy.
| must, however, make il plain and
simple as possible.
As these meteors return Searfy, ana at
the same time OF year, we are bound TO con
slider them as astronomical-that is, they
have their place IN the solar system, Just as
the other planets have theirs. The earth
in travelling round the sun. comes TO the
same place on the same day every year.
In travelling round the sun the earth's
circ e is about 300. 200, 900 miles. and as the
year has 36j days. and the circle has 36010
we may say that the earth advances Il
in day, and about 100000 miles distance
ia its circuit.
About the first of August the earth runs
into the meteors, and continues to cross
their track for ten DAYS, while we travel |
about S, 200 900 miles. Now, please imagine !
a great stream or belt of these mereors run
ming round the sun in an orbit Just such as |
the earth itself describes. and then fancy |
its breadth to be some millions of miles; |
that the earth does not cross it in less than |
ten days, and you will have my notion of |
the August meteOrs. Omit reading the |
next passage, as it may be too leayned |
now. some time Won Will read
Now ie is certain that the ear9h s2aee aoS |
FUN directlp acrusS9his streame huS slanfs
little Fog Shis GeasOs: ThG sareh, as shis time
Of yeagO ?s cunning SSsu Che ssnsSplPaeen
ScOrpHo sUsyaSd gaususe while chs meteoys 3
ere ggasasng sroSS 9hS constellation 5&ssess 2
que p@f.bng Hho qslasle of sige s%lptie qvish !
aiso!fs Goa Gf srs angle Ssins $780, s99 s3iles
'Os che &ses5:ia OtS SsDe Sasss OqS esso'sss O5 )
slese4g. % 4
Chs aseuee SsS gs.ossaooes Gaa suas oasis
be- his@WSe ae se3sS obs elais 0iase: SsOs eaeS 3
seeSs 90 oljssqpaas Go tae sis Seine 4
Gage bees gHSOSaSs Go bse oosis9 asi3s- {
val bodies nS theiS falliag GpSB she earth
lad being sound soon afteS, whse sss ossi- 3
1ence was fresh so,sloJ PGl9 ,So09 sbes sas- J
.erestIng h5s9o2S of 5oveeal. 8
These August QIaueoSe, hOeBegs9s se@gQ go
possess very little density. $sn stsiksg tbs !
,ir they are gradually wa,q8 avSg les tgiee !
ion ehae heats and bBrns them away. and
hey disappear eery gradually. esnly %
ew have crooked paths, shoWing some aa- B
yuarity, and of course. some eolidiey |
None make noises--few @adee& egpl,Ssoas
10 many other meCeorso
When the spectroscope shan Se Brought
% bear upon these bodies, the uature of
heir light in combustion may give some
better account of the constitution of their 4
masses.
Where do they come from9o Whe9e 40
he earth, moon aud stars come from %
do not know that we should be much |
wiser by an answer TO either of the ques-
ions. They appear in their orbit, and we