Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-11-13
An Unusual Display Of November
Meteors Expected This Week.
Now YORK HoraIlD


| The periodical display of meteors on the
night between the 18th and l4th Of NoVem-
/ Der will be looked for this year with un-
usual interest. Though the maximum star
| shower of this period Will not be Que tlll
/ 1859 IL Is highly probable that the eartn,
I IN its orbital movement, VIII encounter
| on Friday night face 10 face larger num-
/ Der Of meteOrs emanating from the con
stellation Of Leo than have been seen
| since 1866.
The vast current OF meteoric dust in
| which these celestial fireworks occur ira
| wells I'm very elongated elliptlcal orbit
| around the sun. making the circuit once IN
| thirty-three years. 1t extends as far as
the orbit Of Uranus twenty times as dis
tant from the sun as the earth) But II
| crosses that part Of the terrestrial orbit
which our planet passes on November lith
and hence its myriads OF minute meteorS
enter our upper atmosphere 10 be VapOr-
ICED by the intense heat Of friction into
which their motion is suddenly transform
ed. The meteOric ring is much wider than
the earth. and is circulating i'm direction
opposite to that Of our globe which passes
through the ring, TO use VI. FlammariOns
Illustration, SOS bullet passes through
cloud Of gnats coming quickly along"
The particular portion of the ring most
fertile and prOfuse in meteOrS cuts our
pathway through space only once IN thir-
ty-three years. and the last phenomenal
star shower occurred in 1866. In that year,
on the night OF November 18Th. astrono-
mers at Greenwich Observatory counted
s iS5 meteors I'm eight hours. In the still
more splendid shower OF November l.
L. lS33 Professor Olmsteds observations
at Boston indicated that the number OF
shooting stars for the whole hemisphere
was not less than 1860 and at the mo-
ment Of the maximum display he COM
pared them TO half the number OF fakes
falling IN an ordinary snOW-stOrm.
sWhile we cannot expect any superb eX-
hibition this year. the meteoric shower OF
Friday night will probably well repay the
sky watcher. In November or last year
astronomers were on the lookout for more
than the average number or shooting
stars. but they We're not gratified. On the
morning OF November 18th. not more than
five LeOnides per hour were counted by
the English observers, but, as Mr.. Denning
reports TO Nature. 4 the display was very
ordinary as regards the number OF stars
visible at exceeded expectations I'm re-
spect TO duration" For as late as the
nth and 18th Of the month q number Of
Leonides were counted. The great meteor
stream has probably been decreasing slow
ly in the long lapse OF years, as much OF
its cosmic dust has been consumed by the
earths atmosphere. When the maximum
star shower 10 which IL gives rise was
first observed and recorded scientifically
by Humboldt and BOnpland. In 1893, the
phenomenon was upon a scale apparently
never since equalled-not even I'm 1893.
There Is, however, no reason 70 suppose
that the lneteOrlc ring mas Decn 20 re-
duced that IN future the displays win
cease to be rich and remarkable specta-
cles
Though Il will be three years before n
maximum display, Ike that in 1866, can
occur, Mr.. Denning, the English astrOnO-
mer, points out that Tin 1863, three years
before the magnificent return OF 1866. not
a great number Of meteors We're seen. but
there il evidence that the Leonides formed
a tolerably important shower" The show
er may be more conspicuous this year
than Il was I'm 1863 and as II may exceed
expectation. astronomers should be pre-
pared 10 adequately observe and record
IL wherever the skies are 1nclouded.
From the present weather indications,
there IS good reason 10 look for cioudless
skies on Friday night In this part OF the
country, and also most Of the region lying