The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1879-09-04
RATES OF
WHOLE NO. 1850.

example, belong to another class Of
objects entirely, of the origin of which
man knows nothing.
A shooting star is only visible while
undergoing the process of combustion,
which lasts from one to three seconds,
seldom longer. Previous to this they
exist in dark, probably solid condi-
ton, not much, if any, larger than
peas, too small to be seen by daylight,
and in the night, being in the earth's
shadow, are eclipsed, and consequently
invisible. Only while being burned
are they visible to us, as then they
shine by their own light.
Each meteoroids moves in an orbit,
revolving 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
gravitation and planetary motion. All
space is filled with them; they are as
numerous as the sand. The earth and
they in their Journey round the sun
encounter each other; the earth by its
superior attraction draws them toward
it, but to reach it they must pass
through the atmosphere, which not
one is able to do. Only meteoric
stones are able to reach the earth, and
they have their surfaces blackened,
and converted to scoria by the terrible
heat engendered by the friction with
the atmosphere and by arrested mo-
ton.
Shooting stars move in all direc-
oh oil o1HoI
equal to the earth's, nearly nineteen
miles a second. One moving retro
grade, therefore (from east to west),
would plunge into the atmosphere at
relative velocity of some thirty-eight
miles a second, and, if allowance be
made for accelerated motion caused by
the earth's attraction, probably double
that, or seventy-fve miles second.
The encounter is fearful, and but for
the atmosphere which acts as cush-
ion, the effect would be disastrous, for
not less than SOOOOO,OOO would rain
upon the earth every day.
The source from whence these me-
teoroids come is comets, especially
from their tails. The tail of the great
comet of 1911 was 150,000,000 miles
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, form
ing part of ring, which in time may
become continuous. Another comet
comes and it does the same, and dur
ing the ages which are past this pro-
cess has been going on till the inter-
planetary spaces are filled with not
only meteoroids, but something still
more marvellous.
In about three thousand years that
great comet will return again and re-
peat the process, forming part Of an
other ring, or adding to the first, de-
pending on circumstances which need
not be considered here. Whenever
the earth in its annual journey, passes
through any ring made by some comet,
no man knows when, we get star
shower. The four most notable ones
in our times take place at the follow
ing dates, namely, on the mornings of
August II and November IA, and the
evenings of November "a and 81. The
last two are caused by the earth
passing through the track of the me-
teoroids left behind by the fragments
of Bida's comet, which divided into
two parts in 1916. In this way me-
teoric rings are formed, of which the
solar system is filled, but none are Wis
ible to us, except those the earth
passes through. By some such pro-
cess was the August ring formed,
which the earth passed diagonally
through on the evening of the 10th
and morning of the 18th of the pres
ent month.
The first August shower mentioned
in history occurred ON July 25th, A.
ID. 81, and has appeared with unfail-
ing regularity down to our own time,
except break of eighty-three years
between 941 and 925, and another and
much longer one of three hundred
and ten years, between 933 and 1243,
owing, probably, to breaks in the ring,
or, which is more likely, to a failure
to record them. The period of the
above comet is about one hundred and
twenty-three years, and it will there
fore make its next appearance about
the year 1885.
The eccentricity of the August ring
is very great, its perihelion distance
being equal to that of the earth, and
its aphelion distance far beyond the
orbit of Neptune, making the circum-
ference Of the ring more than 11,000,-
100000 miles, and as the earth is ten
days passing through it, it's thickness
must be at least 100000 miles.