The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1885-07-22
The Earth Covered with Star Dust.

Two Russian astronomers have Just made
public the results of series of investigation.
of the fall of meteoric matter upon the earth
Nothing could seem more absolutely clear and
free from all haze or impurity than the inters-
tellar spaces; yet the studies of these in
vestgators show that the ether of the star
depths, particularly in the Heighborhood Of
suns, is rather TO be compared with the dusty
atmosphere of haymow than with that per-
fcctly transparent medium that we are wont
to picture to ourselves as forming the path
way of light between the stars. As the earth
pursues its spiral course around the sun, and
with the sun onward through the universe
this star dust continually settles upon it, sift-
ing down through tue atmosphere in surpris-
ing quantities. Part of il comes from meteoric
bodies, many millions of which plunge into
the atmosphere every day and are consumed
with n sudden fash of light and heat; part is
probably mere dust when it enters the atnios-.
phere, for these meteoric bodies undoubtedly
vary in size from huge bodies larger than the
proJectile of an eigtty-ton cannon and endow-
ed with hundred times its velocity to mere
microscopic particles.
There is good reason for calling this matter
star dust, for it partakes of the nature of the
stars IN its composition, and sometimes pres
ents evidence that it has actually been sub
jected to the frightful heat aud pressure that
prevail in suns. Some may have come from
our own sun, for masses Of incandescent mat
ter are occasionally shot from its tumbling
hre-depths with a velocity which we know
must carry them, like solar missiles, out
among the planets and far into the celestial
spaces, until, perhaps, they fall upon some
distant star. A large part of the meteoric
matter may always have belonged to the solar
system, representing the remnant OF the ma
terial o: the original rebula which was not
compounded into the sun Of the planets, but
condensed into clouds of minute particles. It
Is not impossible that meteoric matter may
have fallen upon the earth which was shot
from the gigantic volcanoes of the moon in
the earlier ages Of its history, when, Judging
from present appearances, il must have sailed
a veritable spitfre through the heavens, all of
It's thousands of volcanoes hurting their
bombs skyward in every direction.
Fortunately this meteoric dust possesses
characteristics which distinguish it from dust
Of terrestrial origin, and SO its presence has
been traced all over the earth. 1t has been
found on mountain peaks, in the cobwebs of
unswept cathedral towers, in the snowfelds of
the Arctic regions, and even in the ooze Of the
oceans bottom. The earth is slowly growing
by virtue Of its constant downfall. The latest
Investigations slow that not less than 1850 |
pounds of meteoric matter are added to the |
weight OF the earth every hour. Yet this is
! very slow process of growth, for at the pres
ant rate of accretion millions upon millions of |
years would be required to build up respec- |
able mountain range from the meteoric mat |
er added to the globe. II all the star dust |
hat falls upon the earth in the course of |
wenry months could be carefully swept to- |
sether and heaped upon the Brookyn Bridge,
would Just about suffice to break the cables, |
heir ultimate strength over what is REQUIRED |
o support the superstructure being estimated |
i $4,000 tons. Yet this, after ell, is no small
mount Ct matter to come drifting in out of
be sky. -
The fall Of meteoric dust is one Of The most
ncieni phenomena with which we are ac-
uainied. Before the rains descended Of tbe
LIQUIDS were formed, before there were any
ards or oceans or rock-ribbed hills upou this
lobe, when it was yet itself littIe blazing
un, and through all the ages of its deYelope
lent from a chaotic mass into a beautiful
lauet, the steady downfall of metevrs upon
must have been going on. In those esffier
ges, there is reason TO think, the matter thus
dded to it may have been far more consider
bic in quantity than that which it now sweeps
rom the clearer heavens through which its
,urney lies.-ScicRce