New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-07-11
Some Of you have these shooting by hundreds
In star-showers.
AuETEoR OBSERVED FROM TWO POINTS.

dreamed, and other guessed, about these
objects, but knew nothing. Two German Students
Brandes and Benzenberg. found out, and told u.s.
that these bright flights in the upper parts OF the
atmosphere From the two ends Of the city track al
ways appeared 10 in the part OF the heavens
But when one went TO a village many miles away
track by che two persons at and 81 IN dlf
erent parts or the sky hence rney wer re ao1 -
We now know that these luminous paths are rarely
than miles than 81 miles from the earth
We also know that shooting star was small body,
unknown size. perhaps not larger than pebble or
grain sand even, undoubtedly sod whlcn mas
been travelling around the IN its own independent
orbit, like any planet or comet It's pain came WITHIN
900 miles of tie eartns center and the small body
struck into the earths atmosphere Its velocity
great-hlty OF a hundred times That OF cannon ball
mat even In our upper atmosphere an intense light
and heat was developed by the resistance and the body
scattered IN powder or smoke these DOdes before
they come into air, call meteorolds. IL If only
when they have reached atmosphere and begin to
burn that see them. They are then within ~
miles OF the ground.
Brandes one OF the two German students spoken OF.
riding open pOstwagon on the night OF Dee O.
7gs and saw and counted hundreds or these shooting
stars Al times they came "a last az SIX or
seven minute. Those neeors which brandes saw tnat
night know we're bits from Bieas comet la
November 1888 occurred the famous star--hower which
The facts OF that shower gave 10 Two
New Haven men, Prof Twinng and Prof Oimstead, the
clue 10 the true theory the shooting From thai
date shooting stars have belonged 10 astronomy. The
November meteOrs were admitted new constituent OF
the solar system. Three years later NJ. Queteet OF
Brussels found that shooting stars are to be in un
usual numbers about the 10Th or August OF each year
A few months afterward Mr. Her.icK made lndepend-
emily the same discovery; out he also tod MS OF star
showers IN April and ~ January. what bFahdes had
seen In December. 1895 led Mr. Herrles, moreover 10
expect ike shower III other DEFENDERS ana Ne asked
hat shooting stars looked for on the On and TN Of
Decemper 1888 This snrewd guess justified, FOR
the evenings Of those days hundreds or these meteors
we're seen Ia America, Europe, and Ia Asia by per
sons thus induced 10 These shooting
also had been parts OF Bieas comet though this
TACT not dreamed OF at that une'
In the course or time came 20 know more about
the meteoroids that In general they moved III long
orbits rather than ronnd ones ike planets
that some them grouped an long, thin streams,
many hundreds VI millions Ornles long, and tlat was
the edrtus pungns through Jese tndt we nave star
showers; the space Travelled over by the earth has
IN il everywhere OF THESE small bodies PROBABLY
the outlying members Oh hundreds OF heteOrod streams
Also the periodic time and tho pain or The stream or
November metropolis were Ound out. Then the
Interesting discovery that IN Ils stream ana IN thaJ
OF the August meteOrOids, lay the pain or two comets
Then DR. Weiss Vienna showed that the meteors
by Brdndes IN ly5. ana nY heITcA III 1888 as wen AS
many meteOrs near Dec. ~ other years aud the
Bieli comets all Delon ged TO eacn other.
IL IL properly part OF my story TO show you the
benaylor of one OF meteOrOds. Standing
several hundreds Of niles away, see them enter the
upper atmosphere They are entirely unseen until they
strike the They then come down Ike drops Or fiery
ram few miles, parallel lines, burning no long be-
they reach the ground IAe ar Is IN ract shield
protecting the men below from furious bomOardment.
Tie region the luminous tracks Is many times above
co further away Parallel lines may show
the paths OF the meteOrOlds, though the bodies
themselves too small 10 ne seen IheY strike little
yay into the air 10 some persons coming from the u
uith 10 coming oOiquely, % some Swimming
through upper arnd unseen Dy All upon one whole
hemisphere need hardly remind you that sunlight,
ana twilight ana clouds often come in 20 prevent the
seeing OF the star-fiI gifts by persons below.
CO st further away. From outside look in toward
the sun upon the ana meteOrOh stream The
OTOds IN fact are not 10 DC seen Ine stream = OF IN
known depth, perhaps millions OF miles deep It, den
,ity increases general toward the center We cross
deusest part O Tue November ia Two or three
hours aud the whole OF II III 10 or Is hours while the
passage Of the August stream requires three or four
5ays The Bela stream Is crossed OulIqucy, the mete
orotis ovrrtakIng the earth. The August stream Is
nearly perpendicular anu the November stream meets
AIN 20 still further away out to the point from
which hrsJ looked down upon TIE EARN ana comet
We then see (Dy me nih e} Due III iteoioIs 'lTe"u
along the elliptic OrD OF the comet Tor hundreds OF mil
Of miles. forming HtreihoL unknown breadth put
in Of tie nTs l-ut SHOWN Jo ABOUT lou OF an
Inch II thickness
densest part You IN ILc see nothing Dut the meteor
Ols all about you scattered gIie evenly ana Dis
INT rnch from nearest He!gIDOrs 20 30 miles.
They al. travel tie same way AM WIN common mo
ton. ,.
earth's Iue meieOiolds can now be see Tor
when they strike the air they burn with intense hight.
becoming shooting stars A. u l. from tA5 position only
that ever see them note theF DehaNloI Win more
care A shooting star coming toward you appears OnY
Is bright stationary point IN the sky That point Is
marked one IA every star shower, ana l. ctIIe the
RADIANT. The meJeOrs 70 the right and left Of the
stationary are. fact moving IA the common dree-
nut they seem 20 move Ia ne eh away from tue
radiant. In Words the tracks produced backward
y nj all meet point IN the SKY. TINS radiant point
IN tie lOrL H. n me I'i'l OF Al any pace Dc-
fween II Will general rise N the east and SET IN tle
west Ike the or star, keeping always It's fixed
place among the stars.
Ned tell YOU now much W. would Ike % have some
of the bits the meleOrOld streams 70 handle, 10
try with the UOwplpa aud under the microscope. per
laps thus learn something OF tAer history We do
nave something Ike thl- AT times large meteor masses
rrme crushing into the ar They burn with a light
bright enough 20 States. Coming
down usually little lover tnau the shooting stars. most
frcguently tj a hight OF IS or 80 miles. they break up
with noise ike the firing OF heavy rtlerv. to he heard
over several counties. Fragments scattered IN every
rcctlon tall 70 the ground region aud
twenty miles ent. l can show you several such
IT tgment-. There huuired " them ~ Oui
College cabinet one OF which wee gIs nearly a ton.
.hoptug star l cannot ma clear Inc or division.
NJ nave meteors hat break with loud defamation,
no fra yments are seen ial. one Ia 1860
from Pittsburgh Ne Orleans and from CHARLES
- T,uis II rxploued over the boundary line OF Ten
uessee and Kentucky. We have others which only
seen 20 break into prices. no noise beng heard Thea
We nave tAos, which quietly burn out Ike the larger
ones, these may leave snOk, trans That lst TOR l.
utes such have seen Tor - minutes rs II slowly
hoated away N the currents Of the upper air.
Thus through the whole range, from the ete)rs mat
give us stones IRONS Tor our museums down 20
the fIIntesJ shooting star hardly by r,On Wc-
differ SIZE color OF 1aut, in direction. M tram, IN
velocity. But IN astronomical character al seem 70 be
comets all angles 70 me cIrths orbit. In TACT, a
meteoroid a sma!l comet, not having, however tne
comets tail.
Let me turn from this long DEPRESSION AGAIN 20 the
story Of Biea aud tell whit saw OF 30 n Novem-
tue comet the week Ia November Out net quite
early a. the 2Ith. But that evening they came N
New-Haven about -JJ shooting Stars JnreeioUrths OF
them Bcla. Very few u them wrr' io PEE seen the
next moruIu. and evening. Iael for tdT on two 10
cloudy. Bat ~ the Early part % IN, evening oil me
l7tn they came upon us Iu tiOWI-. over lDJ wore
But only Tie last 'e" drops OF Ae1Vy shower
Before the mad lth as "a" -IJJuS STARS were
seen throughout al Europe comiH- 700 iast 20 De
counted A. east 520Ol perhaps 10000 eJuiI nave
been seen then BY sinsie parry Ji Observers.
\ \ | Il