Smyrna times., 1886-01-27
Origin of Comets and Meteors.


-~-4sb-s
Origin Of Comets and Meteors.
Meteorites, meteor streams and
comets, according to a new but appar-
entlV Well-reasOned theory, are to be
accounted products of expulsion from
suns, from giant planets, and from Orbs
like our earth when in the sunlike
state" Abundant evidence, it is held,
is at hand to prove that it is in the ma
ture of all comets to have trains of
meteors, and of all meteor streams to
be associated with comets actually ex-
isting or dissipated. For example, on
November 9th, 1872, the meteOrs fol-
lowing after Biela's comet were seen in
tens of thousands, as predicted. A few
were seen in 1879, on November 28th,
and on the 9th of November, 1885, the
predicted display of meteOrs took place
and was witnessed all over Europe.
In each of these years when the earth
passed through the comets track evil
dence was obtained from the show of
falling stars that along that track me-
teOrs in flights of many millions were
travelling behind the parent comet.
That they were associated with Biela's
comet is to be inferred not alone from
the exact coincidence in point of time
of their manifestation, but rather in the
fact that they were travelling in the ex-
act line of its orbit, out of millions of
possible directions. Assuming that
what has been proved about comets
generally is to be regarded as true
about meteor systems, and that what
has been proved about meteOrs throws
light upon the nature of comets, some
results of a striking character may be
deduced. 1t has been found from ex-
animation of meteorites that have fall
len upon the earth that they are prac-
tically identical with volcanic products
Mr.. Ball, the astronomer royal for Ire
land, admitting the volcanic character
of meteOrites, argues that most of
them were elected originally from vol
canoes of this very earth on which we
live. Every mass, he shows, great or
small, elected from the earth by vol
canic action with a velocity exceeding
seven miles per second, would pass be-
yond the earth's control and enter
upon a path thenceforth carrying it
around the sun, but crossing the earth's
! track at or near the point where the
election took place. But for perturba-
tions due to the attraction of various
heavenly bodies, the crossing place
would always be at that very point.
Every meteOric mass elected is there
! fore exposed to the risk of recapture
by the parent earth. On the other
| hand, the chance that a meteor elected
from any other planet would fall on
the earth would be infnitesimally
small. The period of the earth's ac-
tivity in producing comets and meteor
streams is of course very remote.
Nothing in the present action of our
volcanoes would suggest an eruptive
power capable of ejecting matter with
a velocity of seven miles per second.
There is abundant evidence, however
that the earth was once in a state re-
sembling closely the present condition
fthe sun, and what the earth did in
its sun-like youth must be inferred
from the present behavior of the centre
of the solar system. The sun, being
327 900 times as massive as the earth,
attracts bodies on its surface with vast
ly greater force, and would therefore
need to give to a meteor to be hurled
beyond its control a velocity of 3S2
miles per second. Yet, as the suns
strength of election is, like its attrac-
tive force, prOpOrtioned to its mass, il
can hardly be pronounced impossible
for that body to hurl meteOric matter
into space with a velocity of 382 miles
per second. In fact, on turning the
telescope to the sun, we find him per
forming prOdigies even greater. He
has been over and over observed in the
act of ejecting bodies from his interior
with such VelOcities that not even his
mighty attractive power can bring
them back again. In one such out
burst velOcities of $50 miles per SECOND
at his visible surface were indicated
which would leave margin of 68 mile.
per second more than is required t
take elected matter beyond his control
If the sun does this now, other heaV
enly bodies, and the earth itself, wheI
in the sunlike state, must also hav,
done likewise, giving origin thus to in
! Vulnerable families of comets, meteor
streams and isolated meteors. Con
firmatOry of this view is the fact tina
certain comets and meteor systems are
associated with certain planets. The
meteors of November 14th, for exam
pie, follow in the track of Temple'
comet, which passes very near the or
bit of Uranus, and the meteOr's of No
vember 9th follow the track of Bielat
comet, which passes very near the Orbi
of Jupiter Long before the signifi
canoe of the phenomena was noticed
Mr.. Proctor wrote of 1.-THE comet fam
lilies of the giant planets " as topic fo
investigation. These comet famihe
travel around the sun as their ruling
centre, but in paths passing near, sew
orally, to the track of Jupiter, Saturn
Uranus or Neptune. The resemblanc,
between this popularity and the inter
section of the earth's meteor streams
with the earth's orbit it is too striking
to be insisted on. This theory of tn
volcanic origin of comets and meteor
for comets and meteOrs are probably
always associated-is strengthened, i
may be added, by chemical and micro
scopic examination of meteOrites. l
is thought to have been conclusivel,
! established that they once existed il
, the form Of clouds of globules of moltel
r metal, and that the atmosphere il
which they were formed was largel
composed of hydrogen.-BaItimOr