New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-27
WATCH THE SKY TONIGHT.
IT MAY Be BRIGHT WITH SHOOTING SIARS.

THE EARTH WILL PASS THROUGH BUNCH OF
METEORS FROM BIELA's COMET.
Watch for shooting stars tonight. If the sky -
clear great many will undoubtcdly be seem ana
there may he regular shower. The earth Is now
crossing the path OF the swarm OF meteors which
is all that remains OF the supposed comet Of Bic''
The earth passes through the orbit Of these mci"or'
every year about this time and receives more OF
less Of shower, according as 1t happens to cross
at "A place where the particles are plenty or l'"'
The matter which once composed the comet though
probably scattering ont more and more, i SUN
punched In places. The thickcst portions are nalF
ally close 10 the place where the comet wouId D'
II il had held together. They come to Pcrlh'lo"
In about GO years, the former pcr.ou Vi '.'
comet, and at such times the inhaOiah'N u INV
earth are likely to have unusually brilliant di'pa''
OF shooting stars They are met nearly NJ P'Iin'I""
this year 1t Is only alternate peIihcon passages
that the greatest showers have been Observed lh'sr
occurred In 1872 and 1885, and another Is expected
in S9s. There Is every prospect. however ''''
q brilliant display will he seen tonight more DTli
liant probably than any that VIII occur hedi" u"'n
1908 The metcors which fall from this swarm are
interchangeable called the November - meleOrs.
the BielIds after the comet from which they are
supposed ID have come. the AndromedcS after The
constellation In the sky from which they appear TO
radatc The fact that small shower l'll OH
November % indicates that there are meteors about
in force and points a greater shower tonight
The last great shower from the meeors occurred
In 1855 and was both I'm this country ana IN
Europe An observer at Leicester England, wrote OF
Il: "The display was most brilliant toward the
western horizon the metcors falling in perpetual
showers with brilliant trails, Ike fine display oil
fireworks" Al Greenwich the rate Of fall between
6 and O'Clock In the evening was from thirty 10
forty minute. Professor pritchsrd reported that
they fell at times at the rate of fifty minute. ana
hocf no
before s u. H. The shower lasted for II long une'
however ard at IL o'clock the meteors were sun
falling at the rate Of three TO five minute Inc
shower was also observed at Naples. Athens ana
Teheran.
Professor Rec of the Columbia College observatory,
said Yesterday: "Of course. | cannot say poS'NcN
that there will be a shower. but ! think it likely
have been watching for mcteOrs during III" clear
nights lately. For the last evening or TWO III" Ky
has been and could max" no ohNcFNalphS'
The shower which I observed on Wednesday evening
was probably connected with that which IS expected
TO morrow night. The metcOrs radiated from point
In Andromeda about where Bela's comet ought TO be-
II i, likely that we met there small piece Of
Picla's comet which IS somewhat in advance Of The
main portion. had excellent opportunity to DE-
termine the radiant. Ii WAS In Andromeda, northeast
of the 1892 comet. which Is undoubtedly going away
Our computations a. TO the orbit OF that comet VIII
be based upon observations taken both here and
Until DO 50, We can say very little about
the comet except that 1t Is moving from us We
shall continue 70 make observations Of for some time
shall watch for metcors both tonight and tomorrow
night"
II Is pretty generally acknowledged That the
comet of 1892 has nothing to do with BieA's comet
or with the Belids Professor swift. Of the Rochester
Observatory, was however, reported yesterday As ad-
yancns startling proposition. II was to the ell ct
that the comet which has been much talked about
recently would turn ont to be Bella ard on H. near
approach tonight would suddenly fare and fill the
sky with such shower Of mCteO9s has never been
seen before The idea absurd, In Wow Of IN" !
facts alre adv asceItalnef and II seems extremely |
Lrchabe that Professor swift has been mi rcprs n'cd
The suggested possibility Is however. attractive, AMI
adds 10 the general interest PTDf's or John EltfhIe
it, Of Cambridge is also credited with tie opinion that
the comet OF this year is Bieas Professor Newton
Of Yale, together with most of the other American |
astronomers OF pate, differ, from this view.
II may seem strange that the meteor, which are all
travelling In paacl nearly parallel, orbit, shou'd
the carth's atmosphere and become visible. 1t Is !
simply matter OF pcrspe, I've. All parallel lin ;. II
sufficiently prolonged, appear 10 come To point |
The radiant ~ III, point j. called form which the
meteors seem to Come j. simply the vanishing point |
OF perspective The radiant viii be near The zenith |
about 9 O'Clock this evening. The moon j. nearly at
the quarter. and may dim somewhat the brightness !
of the shooting stars especially those n lis hmm dte
vicinity but as mary Of the motors bright o:
brighter than first magnitude stars, there VIII u" no
diinculN In seeing them