The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-09-12
Star Showers.

| Wednesday. :.
! Star Showers.
Meteoric astronomy now takes rank as
a distinctive branch of astronomical sci
ence. Not forty years have elapsed since
it was ascertalned that star showers are
periodical. Even then and for many
years after it was supposed there were but
two. called the August and November
been detected, and constantly others are
being added to the list The accounts of
the showers that occurred in ancient
times came down to us clothed such in ex-
trayagant language that, until the great
star shower of November 13, 1883, astrono-
mers were loath to believe them. Now
they know not only the cause, but are
able to predict their reoccurrence with
almost as much exactness as eclipses, and
the popular mind observes these displays
with equanimity and delight instead of
fear and alarm, or thinking the day of
judgment has come.- Science has dis
armed not only them but eclipses and
comets as well, of their terrors.
All know what shooting star looks
like, but no living man can tell what it
really is, for not one has ever been known
y,
and still more weighty metallic masses,
called meteorlites, meteoric stones, etc.,
which occasionally fall to the earth from
the celestial regions, which the one that
recently fell in Iowa was remarkable
example, belong to another class of objects
entirely, the origin of which man knows
nothing.
A shooting star is only visible while
undergoing the process of combustion,
r Snt1 last f.-<,.- <o le
seldom longer. Previous to this they ex--
ist in the dark, probably solid condition,
not much if any larger than peas, too
small to be seen in daylight and in the
night, being in the earth's shadow, are
eclipsed and consequently visible. Only
while being burned they are visible to us,
as they shine by their own light.
Each meteoroid moves in an orbid, re-
volving around the sun with as much
regularity as the larger planets. In fact,
each is in every sense of the word a
planet, obeying strictly the laws of gravi-
tation and planetary motion. All space
is filled with them they are as numerous
as the sand. The earth and they in their
journey around the sun encounter each
other; the earth, by its attraction, draws
them toward it, but to reach it they must
pass through the atmosphere, which one
is not liable to do. Only meteoric stones
their surfaces blackened, and converted
to scoria by their terrible heat engender-
ed by the friction with the atmosphere
and by arrested motion.
Shooting stars move in all directions,
velocities probably equal to the earth's,
nearly 19 miles second. One moving
retrograde, therefore from east to west),
would plunge into the atmosphere at a
relative velocity of 80 miles second,
md fo11 1nxu ha Ia fr,r Tod
motion, caused by the earth's attraction.
probably double that, or IS miles a.
second. The encounter is fearful ,-and-kbHt
for the iatns5sfr thH g. e, which acts as
cushion, the effect would be disastrous,
for not less than 100000 would rain upon
upon the earth every day.
The source from which these meteoroids
come is comets, especially from their tails.
The tail of the great come. in 1911 was
150,Oo0,oo0 in length and 100000 in
diameter. 1t is improbable in the highest
degree that the comet could gather its
tail to itself again. 1t is left behind,
forming ring, which in time may be-
come continuous. Another comet comes
and it does the same, and during the ages
which are past this process has been go
ing on till the inter-planetary spaces are
filled with not only meteoroids, but some
thing still more marvellous.
great comet will return again and repeat
the process, forming part of another ring,
or, adding to the first, depending on Cir
cumstances which need not be considered
here. Whenever the earth, in its usual
journey, passes through any ring made
by some comet, no man knews when we
get star shower. The four most notable
ones in our times take place at the fol-
lowing dates, namely, on the mornings OF
I hn
evenings of November Oath and 9th. The
last two are caused by the earth passing
through the track of meteoroids left be-
hind by the fragments of Bida's coment,
which divided in two parts in 1916. In
this way meteoric rings are formed, of
which the solar system is filled, but none
are visible to US, except those the earth
passes through. By some such process
was the August ring formed, which the
earth passed diagonally through on the
evening Of the 10th and morning of the
14th of the present month.
The first August shower mentioned in
history occurred on July 25th, A, d., Sll,
and has appeared with unfailing regu-
larity down to our own time, except
slight break of S3 years between S4l and
| 924, and another and much greater one OF
80 years between 933 and 1243, owing
probably to breaks in the ring, or which
| is more likely, TO 1allure 10 RECORD Iiieni.
| The period of the above comet is about
| 123 years, and it will therefore make its
| next appearance about the year 1885.
The eccentricity Of the August ring is
very great, its perihilion distance being
equal to that of the earth, and its aphelion
| distance being far beyond the orbit OF
| Neptune, making the circumference, OF
| the ring more than II ,000,O 100000 miles,
| and as the earth is ten Gays in passing
| through it, its thickness must be at least
10000 miles.-Dr. Leaois Saclf IN Roch-
lister Express.
PLowING BY ELEcrRIuTY.-At a recent
meeting of the Paris Academy of Scien-
ces, NJ. Tresca gave an account OF some
experiments in plowing by electricity
| which he witnessed at Sermaise, in the
Marine. A Gramme machine, making
1900 revolutions per minute, and driven
| by steam engine, was connected to