The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-07
THE SHOOTING STARS.
There Will Be a Fire Shower
Next Wednesday Night.
M. FLAMMARIoN ON METEoRs.
Increase OF Earth's Weight Lengthens
the Day and Makes the Moon
Move More Swiftly.

Many superstitlOus persons beileveS
| that the shooting star marks the departure
| of soul for another life; many girl,
whose pensive eyes for an instant gaze
upon the meteor. hastens to breathe
prayer in the hope of its speedy answer;
the poet dreams that the stars. the flowers
OF heaven, bloom in celestial fields, and
fancies he sees their luminous petals
blown away into infinite night; but the
astronomer knows that this ephemeral
heavenly body is neither star nor soul. but
molecule, cosmic atom, a fragment
more or less small relatively, but which
may be of great value to us if We learn
from it whence it comes and how it thus
encounters the earth in its passage.
Shooting stars appear sc frequently that
nearly every one has seen them many
times. Perhaps some have had the I'M
common privilege of seeing not merely
shooting, star, but the very brilliant
and exciting phenomenon of a
fire ball rapidly passing through
space and shedding a glttering
light in all directions-a burning globe
leaving luminous trail behind it. and
sometimes exploding with sound like
that made by an immense rocket, or with
resounding thunder like the discharges of
heavy artillery; and few even by a
chance more rare and happy, have sue
ceeded in picking up q fragment broken
off by the explosion, uranolite, or MIN
eral from the sky.
Here are three distinct appearances,
which, nevertheless, seem to be closely
connected by analogy of origin. The first
point to be determined in the study of
shooting stars is the altitude at which
they appear Two observers, placed at
different points, verify the passage of
shooting star amid the consultations. By
the law of perspective the line of fall does
not appear exactly the same to them both.
and, from calculations based upon this
difference, the altitude is obtained. This
is usually 12O kilometers (741z miles) at it's
first appearance, and 80 kilometers (49 3-5
miles) at the end of its visible passage.
Shooting stars are not seen in the same
number every night of the year. They are
subject to annual, monthly and diurnal
periods, as has been proved by those who
have perseveringly scrutinized the heav-
ems, among whom the French observer
Coulvier-Gravier should be especially men
toned.
The most remarkable annual appear
ances are the night of August 10 and the
morning of November IA. These estab-
lished dates forbid our forming any theory
which attributes the phenomenon to a
meteorological cause. The appearance in
August continues several days and has
its maximum. on the 10th THAT of Novem-
Der occurs only the morning of the 18th.
At the latter date meteors have sometimes
been SO numerous as to be compared to a
rain of fire.
Since 1888 the recitals of ancient chron-
iclers have been studied, and 1t has been
demonstrated that the showers of fire
which, at certain epochs, filled the people
with terror, were nothing but the Novem-
Der shooting stars. This appearance is
| not equally remarkable every year, but
varies in splendor periodically; it reaches
its maximum about every thirty.third
year, continues with little change during
several years, then gradually diminishes
and finally ceases to attract attention for
long period. only to increase once more
and pass it's maximum again at the end of
the thirty-three years.
Furthermore, because of their slight ex-
| tent the earth is but few hours. in pass
| ing through the hosts of asteroids that
| appear in November: and besides, the
| greatest number of them are seen in GER
| tain circumscribed regions which vary
every year. The appearance in August is
more certain, but never so brilliant, and
| is also subject to strange fluctuations in
| intensity.
1t has been proved that the trajectories
| of different meteors diverge from one
| point in the heavens, called the point of
| emanation or radiation. This point is be-
| tween the consultations of Perseus and
| Cassiopeia for the meteors of August 10.
| and in the constellation of the Lion for
a q 4 a. l., 4.
| shooting stars of August 10 are sometimes
| called Perseides. and those of November
| Ii Leonides. n large number of other
radiating points for different times of the
| year have been determined.
| 1t is not necessary to suppose that all
| shooting stars really start from these CEN
| tiers; only that in appearance the traiec-
| tories, il extended, all meet at the sam
| point, except those of a small number,
| called sporadic stars. This conveyance
| Is an effect of perspective; the true trajec-
| tories are obviously parallel, but seem to
| diverge according to the law by which
/ parallel rows of trees or buildings appear
To diverge as they approach us.
Shooting stars must be small, solid
bodies, for, If gaseous. they wonld not
| have sufficient force 10 penetrate SO deeply
! into our atmosphere, and would be dissi-
pated without burning. Sometimes one
mass Is seen to divide into two
|
| preserving "A clearly defined course.
| They are, therefore, composed of sub
stances capable of flying into fragments
| during combustion. 1t has also been often
| noticed that, when meteors appear, small
| clouds are formed which remain for some
! time after the disappearance of the
| meieors, until carried away by atmos-
| pheric currents.
Each appearance has its diurnal and its
| annual period. The maximum daily ap-
| pearance Is from 3 TO O'Clock in the morn
| ing. The maximum annual appearance is
| In the last half the year. because the earth
| more directly meets swarms OF meteoric
| material IN the morning than IN the even
| ing, and during the second half Of the year
| than during the first. We may, for illustra-
| ton, compare the earth passing through a
| host OF these cOrpuscics to a cannon ball
! trayerslng a swarm of cnats its front will
| encounter much larger number than
| the posterior side. behind which there
/ Will be a veritable void. Now, if the ball
| rcvoiyes, The section IN front and which
| Tor this reason, Is more exposed to en-
| counter, Will he continually changed. The
/ hourly number of shooting stars seen by
| any observer will, therefore, depend upon
the position OF his section of the earth.
! which constantly varies with the earth's
! revolution; the maximum Will he reached
| HAen he Is nearest the center of the front
! he shooting stars are really particles of
/ cosnlc matter, probably no larger than
| pinheads, or, at most than shot or bullets:
/ ana these particles. AS soon as they strike
| into the upper atmosphere become is-
| nited by friction.
| Ia all analysis worthy of notice. as is
| every thing emanaiing from a man of his
/ Judgment, NJ. hirn proved astronomy,