Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-02-28
on NETEORlC SHOWERS

on METEORlC SHOWERS
THEIR VISITS OF FREQUENT PERI
op,cAL OCCURRENCE
Pss.ai.sssss II sAs Heavenly DtssaayA
Nsv Fsasarss e ~ sas Revealed - -
Asr>esasr-A H.lk with . Ps.1s.r
= . say aAgA oaA6sea
In answer to several questions regard
ing the Frequency Of meeeoFSc showeEs
Professor Very said:
There are certain epochs in the year
due. Aasiduous observation has given .
list Of nearly 100 such showers in the
oourss Of . year, each Of which may Be
expected on . certain date from . certain
paTt Of the heavena
Particular showers have Characters
tic Gestures; that ID, some meteors are
very swift: otherB rather slow. Some
vanish and leave no trace, while others
ars accompanied by tails and leave
streAks after the nucleus has disap-
peared- Few Of these showers last more
than one or two days, though there are
some instances where it 10 suspected that
successive meteors belonging to the same
group appear during several weeka Ger
tain dates have been noticed to be more
especially freball epochs. That is, the
rare event Of m exceptionally large and
i HI - ~
to occur on certain dates.
Jan. IS Is the date Of the meteoric
shower characterized by the swiftness Of
its components, which are usually at
tended by streaks. The radiant point Of
this shower il in the constellation called
Bernice's Hair, a star cluster-one Of the
morning consultations. As this meteor
i claimed to have been seen in the even
ing it il more likely to have been one Of
the unclassifed sporadic meteors Infor-
nation as to the position Of motion, ap-
parent brilliancy. color. time Of appear
ance and length Of time during which
the appearance lasted is likely to be valu-
able in the recovery Of the principal
characteristics Of an event which is neces-
sarily seen but by few"
How do you account for these mete-
oric showers coming at regular PERIODIC
was asked.
IAN that we can say is that the celes-
tial spaces are thinly populated in every
direction with these scattered fragments,
which are veritable miniature planets
travelling in different orbits around the
sun in many instances, and serving as
messengers from one star to another in
others.
THE number Of them is simply count
less. They make up in number what
they lack in size, 20 that If we could
gather together all the minute members
that go to make up group it might
make body Of very respectable size, al
though the individual components are SO
small that they seldom escape complete
disintegration and dissolution in their
passage through the atmosphere"
What produces the great light which
always follows the passage Of meteor?
The light which is seen while the pas
sage of a meteor through the air lasts
may be due partly to the combustion of
the materials Of the air Of life, but it is
mainly an incandescence Of the condens-
ed atmosphere which accumulates in ad-
vance of an object which is moving many
times the rapidity Of q cannon ball :
often, may say. with many hundred
times the rapidity Of q cannon ball. I'm
der these conditions even the seemingly
fiimsy resistance Of the air becomes as
great as that Of solid body, producing
intense heat, and in the case of u large
meteoric stone frequently resulting in
the fracture and demolition of the object
"Coiored meteors are sometimes seen
with peculiar tint Of the flame, being
due to the burning Of Some special ingre-
dent Of the meteor. We have yellow,
green and occasionally red meteors, but
the majority are white like the majority
Of the stars. 1t cannot be said that any
one part OF the earth can be more affect
ed by these visitants than another. There
is, however, diurnal periodicity, the
larger numbers being seen in the early
morning hours when that portion Of the
heavens comes in view toward which the
the orbital motion Of the earth is carry
ing us. We then see not merely the com
paratively few meteors whose speed is
sufficient to enable them to overtake the
earth, but that larger number composed
Of all those which are gathered up in the
track OF the advancing earth, whether
moving with against or athwart its
course"
1.-The appearance Of the collected re-
suits Of the observation Of the total eclipse
of Jan. l. 1889. shows that this event has
added many interesting facts to the pre-
vious knowledge Of such occurrences.
A large and very perfect photograph of
the corona was obtained by Professor
William II. Pickering. of Cambridge,
Mass. and one Of smaller size by Pro-
fessor Barnard, Of the Lick observatory.
These show the sheaves Of curling
fragments about the suns poles in great
detail, indicating the composite nature
Of many Of the individual filaments, and
confirming the photographs taken at the
previous sun spot minimum Of 1873,
thus rendering it almost certain that the
corona at this period assumes a symmet
rical form with regularly disposed fila
ments curving away on either side Of the
suns axis and broad equatorial wings Of
less Disseminated structure.
| IAN this is very different from what
is seen during an eclipse when the &C
tivity Of the sun is in its height. At such
times the corona has a rudely quadrila-
teral outline. with four wings projecting
from regions approximately ~ dogs
! north and south of the equator, and the
I whole is made up Of curved branching
| and interlacing streamers extending to a
much greater distance from the body of
the sun, and with the equatorial sheaves
less symmetrically disposed. In regard
TO the extent of the corona. it is difficult
to compare successive ecipses observed
from different parts Of the earth with
very varying atmospheric condition. A
small amount of haze will blot out much
, Of the fainter detail. The presence or
absence Of some Of these fainter features
may merely signify the presence or alb
sence Of the condition Of their obeervs-
ton, but the variation Of type is a thing
beyond question. We seem to have a
connection indicated between the broad
equatorial wings and the sun spot sooes, +"