Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-10
Rapid Velocity of Meteors.


which occur in swarms Of showers, and the
sporadic ones which may be seen on almost
any clear night are for the most part very
small, varying from a few grains to several
ounces and are all consumed in the atmos-
phere. By observations made at the same
time by two or more observers 40 or so miles
apart, says Baltimore Sun writer, the height
and velocity of these bodies have been found
with degree OF accuracy. They enter the at
mosphere at an average elevation of 20 or IS
miles, and, after traversing a distance of so or
90 miles with velocity of from 20 to 25 miles
per second, disappear at the average height Of
As or so miles. 1t is only the large ones which
can reach the earth's surface, and then only
when they do not strike the atmosphere very
obIquely. The heat and light evolved by the
meteor during its flight are due to the par
tial destruction of the body's velocity in
atmosphere. The energy of visible motion
is transformed by the friction of the air into
molecular motion, which Is heat. This is pre-
cisely on the same principle that the plating of
struck by cannon shot The quantity of heat
developed in bringing to rest large meteorite
moving with velocity of 20 or Is miles per
second Is enormous. and more than sufficient to
fuse the most refractory substances known.
Periodic shower. of Stars.
Occasionally meteors occur in swarms or
showers which have been found In some in
stances to return after certain definite inter-
vals, thus establishing their planetary char
acter. Meteoric showers were observed in
very early times. Theophanes, the Byzan-
tine historian, records one which was seen at
Constantinople in A. D.. 472, and Conde in his
history of the Arabs mentions one which took
place in A. d. 902. In medieval times historians
record q remarkable display in England and
France on April 4, 1895. Humboldt saw great
shower of them when he was travelling in
South America, on November l3 1873, and
another superb display of them was wit
messed by Captain Hammond, of the ship
Constitution, while lying of Mocha, in
the Red Sea, on November l3 1881, but
the grandest display ever recorded was
that which took place November II, 1888, and
was seen by many persons now living.
competent observant at Boston estimated the
number visible to him during the five or six
hours the shower lasted at about q quarter OF
million; No sound was heard nor was any
Another shower was seen in Europe November
Is. 1885, as was predicted and was repeated in
for SweP nay S Se
The 33-year period Is now well established for
reasons which will be shown presently. Dur
ing the meteoric shower it is at once seen that
the meteors appear to diverge from point in
the sky called the radiant; that is to say. If
their paths be produced backward, they would
all intersect at q common point or nearly SO.
for they move In sensibly parallel lines, being
of course, q little DETECTED by the resistance Of
atmosphere and the attraction of the earth.
Where the Meteors Come From.
With regard to their origin, their great We
Iocity go to 30 miles per second) proves at once
their planetary character. During the i'm
mensely long intervals that intervened between
the births of the several planets and while the
central mass (now the SUM- was slowly contract
ing. vast c'is ntities Of liquid or gaseous matter
would doubtless become either asteroids or
meteorites, according to the mass elected, and
would henceforth circulate as planets or COM
cts around the central sun, and, beng of COM
paratively small mass, would also be thrown
into very elliptic orbits by the attraction of the
various planets. There are at least two such
the November meteors, which have period
of S8 years, and whose orbit extends
beyond that Of Uranus, and the Au-
gust meteors, which have an unknown
distance beyond Neptune. These rings are Of
prodigious dimensions being severa! millions
of miles in thickness. In this ring there may
be only two or three in a cubic mile, but the
number of them is absolutely incalculanle. In
the former the meteors are not yet uniformly
distributed throughout the entire orbit but
are stretched out along 1t tor such distance
that it takes the grand procession between two
and three years TO pass given point Of space
point at which she arrives on or about the 18th
to 18th of November and therefore more me-
teors are visible at that time than in any other,
and when we come into the great swarm we
place in 1893. 1888. 1886 and 81, and which win
occur again in 1899 and 1900.