Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-12-01

THE STAR SHOWER.

1xpsstsS Arrival - the Stella xhsver
Withis . Few Dsys.
Prof. Richard A. Proctor furoisbesa pa.
per 10 the current number Of the Eoglish
magazine Belgravia, entitled "Expected
Meteoric Display" from which are made
the following extracts:
Il - expected By nearly all astronomer
who have given attention 10 the subject that
there will b 4 display Of falling stars on or
about Nov. q next, though The night Of
shower may perhaps fall earlier or later
within . week Of 20 either way. III. aid.
play. should 1t occur, will possess far more
ing stars. or even the displays which have
been witnessed on the night Of Nov. l3, IA,
in 1893, 1888, 1866, and other vears. For
though We now know that when these show.
en- Of Leonides (as the metaors Of Nov. l4i5
are eailed) occur the earth in passing
through the track Of . comet which il follow
ed BY uncounted millions of meteors. and
the like when. on the nights Of Aug. 1911.
and IL, the meteors called Perselds are seeu.
yet the comets corresponding to these lsrre
konWn metoric showers are less interesting
to astronomers than the comets along whose
track those bodies travel which produced
the shower Of falling stars seen on The ni,ht
of Nov. q. 1872, and which are expected to
produce . similar display this year. Il
was remarked BY NJ. o. Strive. at The last
meeting of,he German Astronomical society.
that no object has thrown more lighton the
general nature of cometic bodies ihsn the
comet known q Biela,. / propose now to
give a brief sketch of the history Of this in.
teresting body, and them to consider the rea.
ann ~hv oOtRonnnnono avrnrk AR>~A l.-:-- Il.
last week Of November, 1879, there will be
a display Of shooting stars as the earth
passes through the comets track
In the year 1926 Biela discovered a com.
ct, the path Of which was calculated by
Gambart, . French astronomer, insomuch
thai, according to the usual rule in such
cases, the comet should be called Gambart's
not Biela's. 1t was found to revolve around
the sun in q period of about six and two
thirds year. 1t was not a conspicuous body
lin fact, It has seldom been much more
than barely visible under the most favorable
conditions by the naked eye. Yet it differ
ed from most telescope comets in showing
also. In 1882. 1889, and 1846 this comet
returned to the earth's neighborhood, and
on two Of the occasions it was we'll seen.
In 1889 it was 90 situated as to be lost in
the SUMS rays. In facial every third return
astronomers knew that it would be hopeless
to search for the comet. Thus it was dis
covered in 1928, and we'll seen in 1882, but
not seen aud not even looked for in 1889, 60
again it was seen in 1916 in its calculated
place, and again in 1852; but it was not
looked for in 1859. In 1856 and 1872 it
it should have been visible,
hot r.o.ontl. I'll L. .-.l:.
ed more fully, it was not seen. In
gone OF as 10 the forty preceding years, the
comet would not have been visible, passing
too nesrthe suns place In the sky, As
tronomers have been set to search for it
this year, but quite fruitlessly, because
there we're reasons to believe that if seen al
all the comet would not be seen on It'd
former track. But we must not pass tn
this part of the comets history until the
strange circumstances connected with form.
er returns and with former expected returns
of the comet to visibility have been briefly
considered.
The next passage of the earth athwar,
the track Of the comet 10 the first since that
of Nov. ~, 1872, during which . meteor
shower could be expected to occur. The
comet crossed the earth's track, or passed
very near 10 1t. in April last; aad though
the interval is considerably longer between
then and the end of November than elapsed
between the comets passage in 1879 aud the
display Of that year, yet it Is most probable
that many meteoric attendants of the com.
ct will be seen on soms rights (ol
perhsps on several nights) between
November IS and December 4. and quite
possible that . very fine shower may be
seen. The meteors will be we'll worth look.
ing for in any case, since, if they are care.
fally observed. and counted hour BY hour,
astronomers will probably obtain some fur.
ther insight into the nature Of the processes
which lead to the dissipation Of a comet and
cause its path TO be occupied over . range
Of many millions of miles by scattered me
teoric attendants. To others than astrono.
mers the meteors will be full Of interest
and it is not at all unlikely that they viii
appear in such numbers as to produce al
exceedingly beautiful display.
THE STOCK CRAZE.