The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-11-20
M E T e O r S.!
Professor Proctor Predicts a Star Shower
About November 81.
ACROSS A COMETS PATH.
The Divided and Dissipated
Comet OF Biela.

Professor Richard A. Proctor furnishes paper In
the current number of the English magazine Bel
gravia entitled Expected Meteotic Display. from
which we make the following extracts:--
THE PREDICTION.
given attention 10 the suSect ron 9 VINO hs
display of falling stars GU or about November 81
next. though the night Of the shower may perhaps
fall earlier or later within week either way.
The display. should It occur will possess far more
interest than any ordinary shower OF shooting stars
messed on the night Of November is-i4 in 1898.
1888. 1866 and; other years. For though We
Leonides tas the meteors OF November 14-15 are
called) occur the earth is passing through track
Of . comet which Is followed by unconnted millions
August TO- IL and H. the meteors called Pcrseids are
seen. yet the comets corresponding to these longer
known meteoric showers less interesting to
astronomers than the along whose track those
bodies travel which produce the shower of falling
stars seen on the night Of November ~, 1872. and
which are expected to produce similar display this
year. 1t was well remarked by NJ. .. Strive at the
that no object has thrown more Hight the general
nature OF coInetic bodies than the comet known as
Biea's propose now to give a brief sketch Of the
slider the reasons why astronomers expect that dur
ing the last week Of November 1879 there will be
display Of shooting stars the earth passes through
the comets track.
In the year 1926 Biela discovered comet the path
Of which was calculated by Gsmbart. French as
tronomer, insomuch that, according to the usual
rule in such cases, the comet should be called Gam
barts. not Bielas. 1t was found to revolve around
the sun in period of about six and two-thrd years.
1t was not conspicuous body-in fact, it has sell
dom been much more than barely visible under the
most favorable conditions by the naked eye. Yet it
differed from most telescope comets in showing not
only nucleus and coma but tail also In lsSs.
sioss i we'll In 1888 e. was n 80 situated
third return astronomers knew that it would be
hopeless to search for the comet Thus. it dis
and looked for in 1882 So again it was
In 1916 in its calculated place and again 1885 but
was not iocaea .4r IN 1902. In 1855 ana ~ ~
explained more fully, it not seen. In this
present year. 1879 supposing al had gone on as in
the forty preceding years. the comet would not have
been visible passing too the suns place In the
sky have been set 10 search for 1t this
year (but quite fruitlessly). because there were
to believe that if at ali the comet would
not be seen on Its former track. But we must not
pass to this part of the comets history until the
strange circumstances connected with former re-
turns and with former expected returns OF the
comet to visibility have been briefly considered.
DIVIDED IN TWAIN .
In the year 1916. when Biela's comet was well
SEEM 1t divided-or rather. after having apparently
tinct COMETS each having coma, nucleus and short
tail Of its own. These two comets travelled along
side by side until they passed out OF view, but in
1852 both returned into view though the distance
between them was then greatly increased. Whether
In 1859 the companion comets would have been
seen had the earth been moro favoraby situated Is
not known. The comet not even looked for in
that year, so hopeless did the search seem for
faint object close as the comet then was to the
suns apparent place in the sky.
IT DIsAPPEARs DIsINTEGRATED.
But in 1866 the comet should have been seen as
favorably as in 1886. The perin tendent of the
"Nautical Almanac" published an ephemeris Of the
comets motions-in other words. lie stated where
number of the most skilfu practical observers In
Europe searched carefully for 1t. but it was not
in 1872 land despite the opinions which have been
since expressed by several astronomers. l see no
tss aps ch az GIN my M
had been predicted Astronomers we're certain that If
undesttoyed or undissipated. the comet would follow
the assigned path-as certain station master
would be that train would enter station the line
OF rails assigned to It, unless some accident or mis-
takes, though, now see. they not free from
accidents. This comet had already met with an &C.
cident, being broken. by some mischance, into two
parts Under the very eyes Of astronomers Possibly
In 1859 it met with further msadventures. At any
rate something had happened to the comet since It's
retreat in 1852. How Belns comet came actually to
be divided into two distinct bodies aud later to be
far dissipated to be longer visible. in
favorable circumstances. will probably be under
stood when we know the nature OF those processes
tails For our present purpose Il is only necessary
to observe that these processes OF repuson do most
obviously carry away parts OF the substance OF
comets head to enormous distances. and that in
way Biela's comet was divided. even as It were
under the eyes of astronomers. into two distinct
comets; for thus learn to recognize the further
disntegration Of the comet part OF process
doubtedly commenced in 1916 ana undoubtedly COM
petent effect the dissipation OF the comets sub
stance AS the comet searched for in vain In
1865 in the region which unquestionably IL would
have traversed had II remained unchsnged. there
can DO no reason for doubling that 1t had thus been
thoroughly dissipated and disintegrated. If any
thing could have made this moro certain It would
have been the crcumstance that In 1872. also. the
comet was searched for in vain.
ITS TRACK ACROSS THE EARTH PATH.
II the comet had been like most OF its fellows
astronomers must have given up all idea Of obtain
ing further information respecting it. But in one
important respect it differed from them. II Is one
Of the few known comets whose paths cross. or Mt
least pass very close to, the track Of the EARTH
Already 1882 attention had been called to this cir
cunstance. Indeed. fears had been excited afnong
those unfamiliar with astronomical relations by the
announcement that the comet would cross the earths
monh
that point OF her psth 1--WE escaped that time. Sir
John Hcrschel wrote in 1866. Had meeting taken
place. from what we know Of comets, 1t is probable
that no harm would have happened and that nobody
would have known anything about IT," But from
what we have since learned we have reason to be-
lieve that we should have known great deal about
the encounter. though 1t remains altogether proba
PIE Una. no narm woula nave ne ,ets we we
followed by millions Of moteoric bodies, which, %
the earth passes through the flight. produce displays
OF falling stars each meteor in its rush through the
earths atmosphere producing trail or streak OF
light; and doubtless in the head itself OF comet
meteoric bodies much more richly strewn. so
that an encounter with the head would produce an
unusually splendid display Of falling stars. 1t IL,
more clearly that NO dispay of meteors IL recorded
as having occurred in the last week Of November.
1892 though tho comet had crossed the earths track
loss than month before. Yet in 1879 astronomers
were led to expect somewhat confidently that, the
earth passed the track OF Biela's comet which had
gone that way only some ten twelve weeks before.
there would be shower OF falling stars produced by
the bodies following in the comets path.
Hero Mr.. Proctor pauses to show elaborately that
't Ia the train and not the tan. OF comet which is
followed by meteoric attendants" He then passes
on to show how 1t be definitely proven what
particular meteor the earth passing through
ct q certain time.
THE RADIANT POINT.
Tho radiant point which at present distinguishes
one meteor system from another. even though
both meteor systems may show falling stars
on and the same night at and the
same time, IL not applicable to most of the
records Of star showers. That criterion, IL need
hardly be said. IL the position of what IL called
fhc radiant Ilaint of tha sfar ahnXera- iha mint