The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-11-15
providence Journal
The November Meteors.

For the last three days the earth has been
plunging through portion of space known
as the November meteor.ring, because 1t in
tersects her orbit on the 18th OF this month.
Its vast width may be inferred from the fact
that the earth is three days in making the
passage through the meteor-zone, and its ex-
istence may be proved by small number of
shooting stars radiatiDg from the constellation
Leo, that observers, especially iu the small
hours Of the morning, have seen when the sky
was clear, though star-gazing has been greatly
interfered with by the intervention of unwel-
come clouds. The November meteors are in
teresting members of the solar family, and, ig-
norant as we are concerning bodies celestial,
we probably know something Of their origin
and development The result of careful inves-
tigation seems to prove that the November me-
teors consist of a swarm of particles following
the comet of 1866 in its orbit. One of our giant
planets, Uranus, actually captured this comet
when, in the year 126, it chanced to approach
too near its al-powerful neigh6or. The planet
bent the comet out Of its course as easily as
slight wire is bent by the hand, aud never
since has it been able to escape from its jaiior
II is no unusual thug for a comet TO break Ia
pieces, and for a tail to lag behind the nucleus,
the whole cosmica mass becoming more and
more elongated until it is either partially
or entirely resolved into ring OF meteors.
In the August meteors, associated with the
comet of 1862, the process IS compile %,
and the whole path of the comet is
strewn with portions of its mass. The small,
dark meteorc bodies penetrating the earth's
atmosphere become luminous, and give each
year a more or less brilliant but unfailing dis
~ aal.a MI. a
In the November meteOrs, tins process OF dlsin-
tegration has not advanced so far, the meteor
zone is comDaratively young, the stream hav-
ing not yet scattered over tenth OF the orbit.
Consequently we do not nave star shower ey-
cry year, for the meteors are not uniformly dis
trbuted throughout their orbit, but are mostly
concentrated in an immense group in one part
of it. The orbit of the November meteors Is =
gigantic hoop or ellipse, with ITS perihelion ~
ing on the sarths orbit, and its apheiion just
beyond the orbit OF Uranus. In this orbit the
meteors move in their erratic fashion roukd
the sun, the revolution averaging about thirty
three and a quarter years. Tnls period OF
time must there fore intervene between the
grand meteoric showers that occur when the
earth intersects the vast meteoric swarm. The
particles that strike our atmosphere, becoming
ignited by the conclusion, then descend In
shower of fire, and form one OF the most glorl-
GUS displays OF celestial wonders that are wit
messed by mortal eyes. As the earth encoun-
years at the same place, its extent cannot DO
less than nearly eighteen hundred million
miles, In 1899 we may look for return OF this
superb phenomenon, when meteors will fall
from the skies like golden snowhakes, and the
glittering stars will seem to be involved in q
general con1agratiOn. In 1900 and 1901 the H.
cry shower will be renewed, though on scale
less grand, and then, unless some thing ubfore-
seen occurs, comparative quiet will reign in
the November star-lit sky, until the year
1882 usheEs in the return OF the metsorie
swarm to cross the earths track, and repeat
the grand display. For eighteen years to come
we may not see the heavens on fire under the
dark dominion of the night. But, as nothing
is more uncertain than anything connected
with cometic and meteoric movements, it Is
well to scan the skies with every return OF the
18th OF November. When least expected, the
heavens may take on some new aspect, and
hurrying swarm of meteors fill that portion Of
the ring into which the earth then plunges
with headlong force, remorselessly imprisoning
in her atmosphere the tiny atoms OF the swarm
ing mass, and treating observers who are on
the watch to a shower Of golden rain. Many
strange things may happen on the celestial
concava before the year 1899.