The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-05-16
METEORIC SHOWERS.
THEIR VIsITATIONS OF PERIOD
ICAL OCCURRENCE.
Explanations as to Their Cause-Their
Frequency-The Light They Pro-
duce-PeculIar Tints in
Their Flame.

"There are certain epochs in the year
when particular meteOric showers are
due. Assiduous observation has given a
list of nearly 100 such showers in the
course of a year, each of which may be
expected on a certain date from certain
part of the heavens.
particular showers have Characters
tic features; that is, some meteors are
very swift; others rather slow. Some
vanish and leave no trace, while Others
are accompanied by tails and leave
streaks after the nucleus has disappeared.
Few Of these showers last more than one
or two days, though there are some in
stances where it is suspected that success
sive meteors belonging to the same group
appear during several weeks. Certain
dates have been noticed to be more espe-
cially fireball epochs. That is, the rare
event of an exceptionally large and brill
liant meteor or tireban is more apt to &C.
cur on certain dates.
january 25 is the date of the mete-
oric shower characterized by the swift
ness of its components, which are usually
attended by streaks. The radiant point
of this shower IS in the constellation
called Bernice's Hair, star cluster
one of the morning consultations. As
this meteor is claimed to have been seen
in the evening it is more likely to have
been one of the unclassifed sporadic
meteors. Information as to the position
of motion, apparent brilliancy, color,
time of appearance and length of time
during which the appearance lasted is
likely to be valuable in the recovery of
the principal characteristics of an event
which is necessarily seen but by few"
''How do you account for these me.e-
oric showers coming at regular periods}"
was asked.
'sAll we can say is that the celestial
spaces are thinly populated in every di-
rection 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, so that if we could
gather together all the minute members
that 90 to make up a 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 a meteorl"
THE light which is seen while the
passage 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 al incandescence of the con
densed atmosphere which accumulates in
advance of an object which is moving
many times the rapidity OF a cannon ball,
often, l may say, with many hundred
tunes the rapidity of cannon ball.
Under these conditions even the seem
ingly tiimsy resistance of the air becomes
as great as that of solid body pro-
duciug intense heat, and in the case of a
large meteoric stone, frequently result
inc in the fracture and demolition of the
object.
"Colored meteors are sometimes seen
with a peculiar tint of the flame, being
due 70 tLe- burning Of some sPeeial in
gredient of the meteor. We have yellow,
green and occasionally red meteors, but
the majority are white like the majority
of the stars. It cannot be said that any
one part Of the earth can be more affected
by these visitants than another There
is, however, diurnal periodicity, the
largest number being seen in the early
morning hours when that portion of the
heavens comes in view toward which the
orbital motion of the earth Is carrying US.
We then see not merely the comparative
" few meteors who 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. -
PittsJtyg Dispatch.