The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-27
BY SIR ROBERT BALL.

though many of the celestial bodies
may appear to us to be small on ac-
count of the vast distance by which
we are separated from them. yet they
are in many cases mighty globes COM
parable with our earth in bulk, or,
more usually, hundreds or even mil
lions of times greater There is. how
ever, one class of objects, strictly be-
longing to the province of astronomy,
which have no pretenSionS to consider
alton on the ground of their bulk
The objects of which I speak are in
fact not as large as even the smallest
of moons or the most telescope of
planets. They are not even so big as
the mountains on the earth; the ma
jority of them are indeed little pieces
of matter no larger than the pebbles
on a garden walk. l dare say that
many of them are not greater than
the grains of sand on the sea shore.
We denote them by the word meteors.
These little objects must, however,
be regarded as bodies which come with
in the province of the astronomer, for
they have an existence quite independ-
ent of our earth, and move freely
through space, in so far at least as
that part of their career is concerned
which precedes the supreme occasion
on which, once for all, they make their
appearance to us.
The most remarkable feature of the
meteor is the speed at which it travels.
Though often not so large as a rifle
bullet, a meteor urges its way at
pace far in excess of that with which
any rifle bullet has ever been driven,
or, we may indeed say, far in excess
of that with which any rife bullet ever
could be driven. The most improved
rifles which human skill has yet turned
out can impart a muZzle velocity to a
projectile corresponding to pace of
about half mile in second of time.
But there is a check to the speed of
rife bullet arising from the fact that
the missile in the course of its flight
has to force its way through the at
mosphere. The resistance which the
bullet experiences from the friction of
the atmosphere increases at a far more
rapid rate than the increase of the
velocity. 1t is this resistance of the air
which chiefly limits the range of ar
tillery.
The density of the air decreases
with every increase in height above
the earth's surface, until. at an alti-
tude of a few hundred miles, the at
mosphere may, for all practical pur-
poses, be said to be non-eXiStent. A
bullet projected from q rifle which was
at such an altitude would only eX
perience a resistance much less than
that which SO speedily reduces the
muZzle velocity of a missile fired at
the earth's surface. On account of
this atmospheric resistance it would
be impossible for missiles down here
to possess velocities exceeding a GER
tain limit, but in the open space be-
yond the confines of our atmosphere,
velocities of any magnitude would be
cutie conceivable.
Accordingly we find that meteors are
generally animated with speeds far in 4
excess of those possessed by any rifle
bullet. For our present purpose there
is no occasion to inquire as to the man.
ner in which such terrific velocities
have been originally impaired. All
that we have now to consider is the
fact that these little objects when
moving in free space are certainly
hurrying along with velocities 10 times,
20 times, 80 times, or sometimes even
100 times as swift as the swiftest rifle
bullet that ever was fired.
Let us think of little meteor hurry
ing along through open space at
speed 100 times greater than that of
a rife bullet. 1t need hardly be said
that under such circumstances we
could not see the object. 1t is too
remote from our earth The most
powerful telescope would not display
such an insignificant body to us even
if it were at rest still less could we
expect to see it when hurrying along
with this bewildering rapidity. For
try to realize what the speed really |
is with which the little object is ami
mated. We think that railway train
is making very good progress when it |
runs so miles an hour. Then to i'm
agine the speed of a train which would
make the same journey in a minute
no ha quickest would
Quire an hour to accomplish. How
vast indeed would this pace be. But
yet it falls far short of the speed of
the meteor. We should have to sup
pose that the body moved as far, not !
in minute, but in q second. as the
express train does in an hour, before
we should have an adequate idea of
little objects dashes along. If a
meteor were TO fly round the equator
while preserving all the time it's char
acretistic speed, it would take no |
more than two or three minutes to
cross each of the continents and each |
of the oceans which lay in its way;
and in fact, the whole journey round |
the globe would be. accomplished
within ten minutes. Animated by !
such speed a body would pass from |
to New York in a minute. |
or it would travel all the way from the /
earth to the moon in less than an hour |
and half.
A meteor urging its course with this |
rapidity may pass near
the earth, say at a distance of a
thousand miles or So 1t then ourSueS
it's way and entirely escapes our at l
tention. No doubt the attraction of |
the great mass of the earth will, to a |
certain extent, pull the object, and i
compel it to Swerve from the direction |
it has been following, but provided |
it gets quite clear of the atmosphere |
which so completely invests the earth, |
the meteor will be uninjured and will !
not lose its velocity. Doubtless every /
day, nay every hour and every minute,
unseen meteors are passing by the ,
earth, narrowly escaping a fall which
would for ever terminate their wan
behring's.
Suppose, however, the direction of
the motion of a meteor be such that it
enters our earthS atmosphere I'm
it's terrific motion is checked.
II might almost be said to be checked
with nearly the same emphasis as the
speed of an ordinary rifle bullet would
be checked if it We're fired into a hay
stack. The speed which the meteor
possesses before it has struck into our
cannot possibly be main
tanned afterwards. The resistance of
The air will not permit it. But the
efforts of the celestial wanderer to
continue it's astonishing movements
after it has taken the plunge lead to
consequences which, though fatal to
he meteor, are of the highest interest
Everyone knows that the friction of
two bodies rubbing against each other
IS frequently accompanied by the pro-
luction of heat. A neglected axle-box