The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-08-12
THE STAR SHOWERS AT HAND.
Swift Rocl-afs Thai hart From the (sOp.
steIi'tioH TeFseUs.

Stcit'tiOll IefSeuS.
New York Mail and Express.
June and July are not favorable months
for amateur astronomers, not only be-
cause the daylight hours are long, but be-
cause the skies of summer. while inter-
esting. are not so startlingly brilliant as
the winter heavens. With the coming of
August, however, the situation changes.
Then are due the Perseids, that we'll
known shower of meteors. while II the
latter part of the month the beautiful Ca
pella becomes visible above the north
eastern horizon at seasonable hour, the
herald of DEFENDERS brilliants. The
summer months this year have been IA
vored by Venus, as evening star, hut her
greatest brilliancy is reserved Tor Au-
gust. These things combine to make the
month an interesting one to the star-gazer.
The August meteors are one of the most
steady displays of the many known show
ers. Shooting stars may be seen on any
clear night in the year by a diligent OBJ
server, but they are generally not numer-
Gus enough TO attract attention. At times,
however, they come in such numbers and
from one particular section of the heav-
ems as to be fairly called showers. The
Leonids in November and the Perseids in
August are the two most noteworthy of
these showers. To see the Perselds Ii Is
only necessary to watch the northeastern
sky after o'clock on the evenings of the
9th. 10th and 18th of August. The new
observer is sure to be surprised 2. the
number OF these noiseless little fire balls,
which seem 10 chase each other across the
sky. They appear TO come. when their
paths are produced back, from a point in
the constellation Perseus, and hence their
name, Perseids. But it is not necessary
to know the constellation to see the me-
teors They cannot be missed, no matter
how little astronomical knowledge one
may possess
The origin OF meteorlc showers appear
ing so regularly from year to year has
been the subject of much discussion. That
there were swarms of n1eteors revolving
in regular orbits about the sun was rec
oguized as early as the great shower of
1893 November display. After the
shower of 1855 Ii was discovered that the
Leonids were moving in the same orbit
as the comet OF 1866. known rs "empels
comet About the same time calculation
showed that the Perseids were moving in
the same path as Tuttle's comet OF 1852.
RleIa's comet was next connected with
the Andromedes, and one or two other
such connections seem to be pretty well
established. Such being the case, the
theory that the meteors were really
pieces Of comet. that they were the re-
suit of a cometary disintegration, was adj
vanced That there is some connection
between the two seems probable, 10 say
the least but there are some things 20 be
said against the cometary disint agra ton
theory Mr.. Monck has pointed out that
IexelTs comet approached within ~, ono
miles OF the earth IN 1770, and that I.exei-
Ian uleteors might have been expected.
hut there IS no record OF any such display
at that time. The great comet or 1887 re-
mained for four DAYS within 100000 miles
of the earth: the comet Of 1851, said by
Sir John Herschei 20 be the finest Of the
century and one % the comets or 1s2t
v,assed very close 10 the earth, but no
great star shower was observed in any
az these cases on this account IL has
been urged that while meteors may not
come from comets they both may have
had a similar origin. They both may have
been elected by one OF the major planets
before II had advanced far in the process
Of cooling The gaseous product would
form the comet and the solid The nltteors-
This was the theory OF Prof. Proctor
To account for the Perscids on this
ground II is necessary 70 suppose The ex-
fstence of a planet beyond Neptune. which
threw out Tuttle's comet and the visitors
which brighten our skies next week. This
IS not an utterly irnprobaelv pTopcst ton.
as for several years the existence Of one
or more -NeptuniRn planets has been
REGARDED rsoxSfhle Which OF these two
views as 70 the origin Of rneteoric show
ers Is the correct one cannot be said, but
that comets and rneteors are IN ScIre way
related is rot 20 be doubted.
The Perse{ds or rather scattered mem
hers of the shower. have been Observed
~ early as July 6. and as late as August
* They we're rseog uized. % course, ~
their coming from the radiant n FER