Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-20

Is naturally supposed to lie, they were looking
straight up to the sky.
But it was not money that they saw, nothing
but the aeeting gold Of meteor, at the sight Of
which, and before it vanishes, so runs popular su-
porstition, il one will only utter the word money
that desideratum will shortly be forthcoming,
conceit which, like the one regarding the moon
over ones right or left shoulder, will give the
most sensible and prnctical-loth though he is
to admit it-a thrill Of joy If it augurs we'll for
him and q pang Of disappointment if it tells
contrary tale.
But II that were the only condition Of riches,
we might each and every one of us be Croasus
were we diligent in our exclamation of the word
money these nights. as the earth. since Tues
day, the 9th, has been passing through the
August meteoric belt, and the sight Of meteor
mas been consequently, by no means, q rarity.
THE LAURENrIAS SHOWER.
This particular body Of meteors, greater or
less numbers of which are seen from the 9th to
the 14th of August, is known as the Laurentian
shower, they being considered the fiery tears of
that half -mythologic. half-authentic individual
81 Lawrence. who because, in the face Of perse-
cution, he would not renounce his faith, was, &C
cording to legendary report, scourged and lacer-
ated and finally roasted to death on gridiron the
10th day Of August. 25s A. D.-woe enough to
make any one, at the memory Of it, shed tears
OF fire six days in succession annually through
out the ages.
This fiery appearance Of a meteor, unlike that
Of a star, which shines by inherent or reflected
light is due to the heat generated the moment
the earth atmosphere touches it. for haphazard
sky, it is after all at that very instant pursuing
as definite path Of its own as is the earth it.
self, and it is only when these two paths con-
verge, 30 that the earth atmosphere touches it,
that it becomes visible.
The heat produced upon the meteor BY fric-
ton with our atmosphere is great that the
outer portions Of the meteoric body il con.
stantly melting as 1t proceeds on its way, thus
producing the appearance OF train Of light
called the tail" Sometimes the entire meteor
becomes dissipated into tail, which then falls
to tho earth meteoric dust. Again after be-
ing Invested by the melting process of q por-
ton Of Its bulk it readily falls into the earth's
attraction and descends to the ground, while
II OF considerable size and long distance re-
moved, it may escape the clutches of the
esrth-monster with only the loss OF its glowing
outer garments
THE EARTH CROSSES rH.IR PATHS.
The earth on its journey ound the sun is
continually crossing the paths of these smaller
sky travellers, as is evinced by the fact that on
almost any night during the year meteors are
occasionally seen. It Is said, indeed that on q
moonless night O single observer may count an
average Of eight an hour. and rs one person can
see but about one-fourth Of the sky 1t would
follow that about thirty would be visible in IN
hour or more than 700 in day il none were
obscured by sunlight, and as the same observa-
tions may be made from more than 10 900 sta
tions the facts in the case would be that
7.OOO, OOO day pass near enough to the earth to
be seen. Fifty times as many may be seen with
the telescope as without. and this number in
creases with the power Of the instrument.
Ruf these tho iaol Tod
the bachelors Of meteordom, whose paths
are observed to be sometimes in one
direction and again in another, quite
after the erratic fashion Of their human
prototypes. The harmonious families which
are travelling unanimously in one direction are
to be seen only at stated intervals, notably in
August and November. Observers doubtless
noticed that the meteors seen last week shot
without exception from north to south, and the
November display, which is usually still larger is
similarly constant i'll its direction.
BELT AROUND THE SUN.
These August meteors form gigantic belt
around the sun, since every part Of the path
which they traverse in circling that luminary
ia more or less thickly strewn with them. and as
it takes this belt los years y finish revolution
while our earth completes one in twelve months,
it would follow that except once in lO5 years
we would gee yearly different portion Of the
belt fact, which. since the belt is of unequal
thickness, accounts for the variability Of the
meteoric display at this season.
The late Prof. Richard A. Proctor the au-
thority for the facts herein stated, SAYS that
there is no evidence that the earth ever pene-
trates to the mdcurrent OF any meteOric stream
after which be sententiousy adds: "If she did,
the result might not be satisfactory to her in
habitants.''
The meteoric stream which the earth's path
touches in November il even larger. it being
computed as 100 900 miles in depth and ten
times that in breadth, and some of the great
est showers OF neteors' have consequently
been seen at this time.
In November, 1888 within nine hours which
included the night Of the 18th and morning Of
the 18th, 100000 meteors darted into visibility.
They shot across the sky from the north like 80
many wind-biOwn flakes of snow, and varied in
| sile from mere point OF light to o very largo
star.
THEIR MISSION NOT KNOWN.
Science, to her own dissatisfaction, can only
partially answer the question Of their mission
That thoy exist in uncounted millions other
where than at the points where the earth meets
them Is evident from the fact that MANY of
them are travelling with a greater swiftness
than the mere attraction Of the sun upon them
| would produce, and nre therefore supposed to
have been violently elected from neighboring
suns.
But what ia their use? Are thew the fuel
Proctor picturesquely interrogatcs. ''the chips
in the great workshop Of nature, the sparks
which have flown from the mighty grindstonc,
the shreds of clay which the giant potters. At
| traction and Repulsion, have cast aside as use
less?'
THE VISIT FROM MARS.
This old earth which we call ''ours," with
about as much reason as band Of tiniest, feeble
microscopic insects dwelling in q giant oak
would call tho tree ours has its affairs and
thrilling happenings, as have we. its almoners.
Just lately it has received visit from ITS rudy
next neighbor, Mars, aud scarcely has this
exchange Of amenities ended before 1t has occa-
sion to pass, no doubt proudly, into the society
Of q lot Of small-fry meteors, at all of which
doings we may look ON and wonder and theor-
ize and now and then discover fact, but never
/ NEEDLE.
Perhaps the tiny microscopic insects in the
oak in something the same fashion now and
then turn their insect minds from the affairs Of
insectdom and speculate ~ to the trees yearly
growth and death, or mediate ON the relation
which it bears to the nsishboring trees Of the
forest
Causs Cauearum.
i ~