Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-16
METEORIC SHOWERS.
Prof. Hardness Tells What They Are
and What Causes Them.

"When was q small boy" said Prot. VIM
Hardness Of the naval observatory to a STAR
reporter, Il used to be very much interested
in watching shooting stars. and always WON
dered why it was that though l could see them
SO often never was able to see one start
Very likely children. and, as you say, perhaps
older people as we'll, wonder why it Is that
shooting stars or meteors always appear to
start out in full motion and suddenly fade
away, without seeming to get anywhere in
particular. The explanation is simple enough
when one only understands what meteors really
are. Star gazers through all time have been
interested in the phenomenon of meteoric
showers, but 1t was not until well i'll this CEN
fury that Schiaparelli the astronomer of Milan.
gave an explanation of them. In 1865 consid-
cradle work was done here at the observatory
in working out the problem of meteors.
WHAT METEoRs ARE.
what are they2 Why they are simply small
bodies that the earth encounters in inconceiy-
able numbers in its annual revolution around
the sun. They are very small, indeed. much
too small ever to be seen by the most powerful
telescope. doubt if they would average in
weight a grain apiece, while one as large and
heavy as an ordinary buck shot would make a
very brilliant meteor indeed. They are pieces
probably. of some heavenly body that was
kept on moving around the sun. each in its own
orbit, ever since. Then there are grea.
groups OF them moving around in the same or
bit and when the earth in its course around
| the sun passes through the path of one of
these groups we have what we call a meteoric
shower. That is the explanation OF the
| August shower. the most brilliant
regular shower Of the year. About the
9th or 10th Of August the earth passes through
| the orbit that il travelled by innumerablc me-
| Ill 4
same time, and thus it is that we can be Ger
tain Of running into them every summer.
"In the case of the November meteors how
ever, it is quite different They move in one
bunch around the sun, with the same orbi;
and the same period, little over thirty-three
years. Thus we only have remarkable No
vember shower when the position of the earth
comedies with the position of this group OF
meteoroids
SHOOTING STARS BY MILLIONS.
"Still as you have noticed, of course, shoot
ing stars can be seen almost every night in
| greater or less numbers. This is explained by
the fact that there are countless millions of
| these small bodies scattered all through the
| region of the sidereal system. Some move to-
gether in punches or groups, rs have said,
while others are isolated example but each is
rushing around the sun in a well-defined orbit.
Although the total mass OF these bodies is very
| small, yet their number IL beyond all estima-
tion. According to Prof. Newton's estimates
| seven million shooting stars are run into by
the earth every twenty-four hours. This would
make two or three thousand million meteoroids
| met with in the course of year. The eer tn
| Of course, would only encounter a very small
fraction Of those even in the solar system. II
has been estimated that while there is but a
| single meteor to several million cubic kilo-
| meters OF space in the heavens, still the total
| number 10 immensely great, because q globe
including the orbit Of Neptune would contain
millions of millions of millions of millions of
cubic kilometers.
| 'Why is il that We only see them as we do?
| For the simple reason that q meteoroid is SO
| small that 1t cannot be seen. il cannot shine OF
its own light, for .it has none, and 1t is too in
significant even to shine by reflected light
DESTROYED BIZ FIRE.
80 IL has to wait until it strikes our atmos.
phere, where, moving at the tremendous rate
il does, even in the rarifed air way up there. /,
Is soon on fire and completely destroyed by the
intense heat that the friction causes, long be.
| fore IL reaches the earth. Only very rarely or
In the case of exceptionally large and hard
| meteors or bolides 10 ever trace Of item found
upon the surface Of the earth. Occasionallv
one hears of fine powder being scattered over
the snow on lofty mountain peaks after a very
heavy star shower and the theory is held that
this 10 the star dust or ash, but this theory is
not generally sustained, as all experiments and
| EFFORTS TO catch star dust have proved signal
| faiiures
shooting stars are merely insigniAcant par.
ticles Of matter in . state Of Combustion. a
good way of, though still within the limits of
| our atmosphere and 30 small that while they
are con.uming they o6er mere point Of light
! 70 the Observer"