The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-01-31

our atmosphere. are they called shooting
stars or meteors. IL is important that
this distinction be borne IN mind. for. u
true, then can no meteoroids ever be
seen from the earth. In their natural
/ condition they are ciroum solar bodies,
Y obeying the laws Of motion and grnvita
ton as rigidly ~ do the planets. and
must be treated as such, though more
numerous than tho leaves Of summer.
/ The velocity with which they plunge
into our atmosphere il very great. proba.
I bly, about As miles per second The
length, in &c. Of their visible path varies
widely. OccasioHally one flashes up. and.
increasing in size and brilliancy. disap.
pears. without seemingly having moved
a particle. The motion Of such a meteor
was exactly toward the observers eye.
and consequently IL ought not 10 have
any apparent motion. Another observer
20 or 80 miles distant may have seen the
same with n path several degrees IN
length. Their paths may be considered
TO vary from zero TO 90', or even more
The length Of their real paths. that H. in
miles. also varies greatly. but the average
u about ~ miles. BY the time this dis
lance Is accomplished. unless tho mo
teoroid is a large one. Il Is heated. melt
tAs tNaH0NAAtus anu tAAlM NAAHMNtis NAA
within the period Of not over one second
Of time. The height az which they are
heated to visibility IL sometimes as great
as 200 miles. but the average i about IS
miles aud at extinction, about 50 miles
Tho above assumed rate Of motion az
which they enter our atmosphere u the
result Of the sum Of the orbital motions
Of both the earth and metooroid. bat,
owing to the earths attraction. this mo.
tion Is really very much greater than 4s
miles per second. especially for those
which move retrograde.
We are now prepared 10 m cr1trrs
Why they are burned up. and 90 quickly
vaporized The heat thus generated.
though all produced where the atmos-
phere Is inconceivably rare. is estimated
to be equal 10 three million degrees Fab.
renheit. No known substance, unless Of
considerable size and density. like the
meteoric stones which occasionally reach
the earth. can long withstand such de
gree Of heat, unchanged In form and
srJcture. Before the above facts were
kloTu c. Q le e.. Of the earth's atmos-
pbe-e was usually considered 10 be about
IS .nfies, but that il j.. az least. Eve times.
and probably ten times the distance, il
clearly proved by the researches in me
teOric astronomy.
whea il IL considered that. according
TO Professor Newton. four hundred
million shooting stars are daily burned
up in our atmosphere (including those
that are telescopic). Il would seem that
the earth must constantly be increasing
in weight and size from this cause. aud
sucl, no doubt. i the case IN fact a. well
as H. .aeory. Unfortunately the data for
arriving at any very exact value az 70
CARDS their'size and weight rests on Insult
ficient evidence. Professor Harkness, Of
the Naval Observatory. who has made a
thorough DISCUSSION Of all accessible evi-
denco bearing on the subject. has arrived
at the astonishing conclusion that their
average weight does not exceed one
grain. II we assume that those which
are wholly telescope are not larger than
iand grains and probably they are not.
those that are visible 70 the naked eye as
objects. and especially those
bat @ seen over a radius of $50 miles I
md lll several cubic miles with smoke /
aust contain several ounces. and perhaps I
pounds Of meteoric matter. whatever I
hat may bo. Suppose we base our ealcu /
alton on the estimate Of ten grains for /
ZACH meteoroid. this would equal 1000 4
100000 grains. or 2s0 tons n day. or lO6.. I
200 tons a year, sufficient. IL distributed 1
.qually over the carih's surface. TO form.
u 100000 years, a stratum equaling ia
thickness the paper upon which this
ournal is printed. The moon, a. shc
evolves round both the earth and sun.
must also meet with these all pcrvading
but, having no atmosphere
o arrest their motion. they cannot be
leated. They must strike on its surface
nd be instantly converted into the finest
,owder. This meteoric dust. from ex
essive attenuation. must be Of light
olor, perhaps Of pure white. which
nay 60 far 10 explain the cause Of her
Of 80 much light. the which.
fhen her size and distance are consider
d seems out Of all proportion.
While the writer was observing the
star shower Of November,
SCI, he witnessed phenomenoI which
lill linger long in his memory. A bril-
ant meteor from Leo passed in a wes-
arly direction, leaving n luminous train
some forty degrees in length. It's
cad seemed 10 increase in size and
as il progressed, when, a. sud.
enly as though il had struck target, IL !
anished from sight Soon a cloud form.
d, assuming "A variety Of fantastic shapes, /
sveral being perfect delineations OF let 1
,rs OF the alphabet. Twice in its pere-
rinations was the letter y thus formed,
lese changes occupying some fifteen
linutes. Finally. gathering 10 itself its !
PARTICLES. Il became a round
numerical disk. probably a sphere.
hich centrally occulted the nebulous {
uste in called Clactr the Beehive. For q
most two minutes IL was, from this {
luse, lost TO view. After the occultation :
continued visible for ten minutes /
niger During its visibility, which was d
yenty FIVE minutes. il drifted about 80
zen degrees TO the north, confirming by :
Jservation the truth Of the theory that I
be heated air OF the tropics flows to the |
orth through the upper regions Of the !
iposphere.