The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-09
METEORs.
Their Origin and Cause Where to Look for
Them Historical Notices Of Meteorites.
For the indianapolis Journal.


through the sky. They look like stars, and
with good reason are often called shooting-stars
1t should be admitted that the real stars are at
very great, and mostly unknown, distances, and
in general, never appear to move with respect to
each other; while meteors, or shooting stars, are
never seen outside of our atmosphere. But they
originally exist entirely outside; being small
solid bodies of metallic or stony matter floating
through space, in orbits round the sum- like
planets. In this original form they are called
meteoroids. And when the earth meets.
or passes near them, they are attracted
by the earth with great force, and enter
the atmosphere with amazing velocity which
develops heat so intense as to set them on fire.
and they burn with most brilliant light thus
giving them star-like appearance. They gem
orally burn up and vanish while they are yet
high up in the sky. Their visible paths are
often only few degrees long Indeed, one is
occasionally seen without any apparent mo-
ton, because it moves right toward us. Some
of the larger ones burn longer, with greater
light, and leave reddish train behind them,
which is the red-hot ashes left streaming
through the air. and gradually disappears on
cooling Others, still larger, with brilliant
light, nearly reach the earth, and are called fire.
balls. Some of these bodies-probably of still
greater size-falI to the earth and penetrate the
soil without being entirely consumed. Such
bodies have been seen to fall and taken up while
they were still hot Others have been heard and
found before they got cold. Such bodies are
called meteorites-meteoric stones, and some
times aerolites stones from the air. Some are
much smaller than ones hand, others as large as
a good-sized rock weighing several hundred
pounds A very singular meteorite was found
many years ago near the village of Tucson, Ari-
iona. 1t was removed to the Smithsonian In
stitution, at Washington in November, 1863 Its
form is that Of a ring, about four feet in dame
ter. One side Is much thicker and heavier than
the other. Its weight is about l. 400 pounds
Meteoric stones have thus been deposited in
many of the worlds museums, and are valuable
scientific curiosities
These minute planetary bodies, wandering
through space around the sun, are much
more numerous in some places than Others
occasionally forming collective ring, in some
parts of which great numbers are met with.
And this accounts for the extraordinary meteoric
showers on record. suppose nearly everybody
has heard of the wonderful meteoric shower
which occurred early in the morning of Novem
Der 13, 1888 1t seemed like all the stars of
heaven were increased in brightness and falling
to the earth. The alarm which it caused was
very great. Wonder how many people would
be scared by such exhibition in these latter
daysl A similar show, though not so great was
witnessed in l799-just thirty four years before
and another still less, though very considerable,
in exactly thirty three years afterwards viz
November ID, 1866. But it was much more
prominent in England than in America.
Sometimes large meteoroid strikes the
atmosphere with such violence as to explode
with loud noise and break i'll several pieces
which fly along in their separate tracks. Al
noted example of this kind was seen by many
persons in this State at 8 o'clock in the evening
of December 81. 1876 When meteorites are
analysed and examined with microscope, they
are found to be composed largely of iron, mixed
with other substances, all of which are known to
exist on the earth, but in different proportions
OF combinations. So that meteorite
as mass, is different from
any other body we know Of although
composed of the same materials differently put
together. Besides the group of meteoroids which
the earth passes, or penetrates, near the middle
OF November each year there is another which
we pass about the 10th OF August when we may
expect that shooting stars will be more numer-
GUS than they are IN ordinary clear nights. /
am not aware of any reason for expecting a
greater show of meteors ON the 9th 10th and
18th instant than is commonly seen in this part
of any August; but it is always matter OF
scientific interest for as many observers as well
can keep watch and note how many they can see
ID certain time have no doubt that our
editor would willingly publish observations from
several persons of what they might see in a
watch of two or three hours. Sometimes very
large and bright meteor appears which any per-
son would be glad to see. / venture to
suggest herewith that as many Journal readers
as conveniently can begin to look for shooting
star about dark. on one or more of the evenings
above named, and note the time (hour and min.
ute) of every meteor observed, as long as you
feel like sitting up 1t is better to have an as
sistant who will note time and do the writing
1t would be well to locate the meteor as near
as possible and also note its brightness as com
pared with stars of different magnitudes and if
it leaves train of ashy light. 1t strikes me
that comparison of such observations would be
interesting to each one who made them, and
perhaps, to others besides and if the same me-
teor could be identified by two or more observ-
ers, we might have data for ascertaining its
approximate distance.
Observations for a number of years show that
the August meteors generally move in a di-
rection from north to south, and by extending
their paths northerly they seem to meet in the
constellation Perseus, the northeastern hori-
zon. This is called the radiant point, and the
August meteors are called Perseids. The No
vember meteors are called Leonids because
their radiant point is in Leo. A Chinese record
indicates the fall of a great meteorite on Jan.
IA. Gle B. G., which "broke several chariots and
killed ten men, Another chronicle Uniforms us
that in the year 944 A. D., globes of fire tray
ersed the atmosphere and burnt several houses. y
shower Of stones fell at Rome in 343 B. G.
Perhaps no other single meteorite ever caused
SO great sensation, or created so much interest
in several ways, as one seen to fall about noon
in wheatheld near Ensishem Germany on
Nov z, 1892. A strange and loud noise was
heard between III and IL A. NJ over considerable
portion of southern Germany and Switzerland
followed by a confused roar, and the fall of
great stone from the air II was taken from q
d+pth of nearly six feet, and weighed 260
pounds. This meteorite was theme Of general
conversation for long time. The Emperor
Macmillan talked with the mobiles about it, and
they decided the occurrence to be wonderful
miracle from God. The,stone was ordered to be