Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1896-11-05
NOVEMBER METEOR SHOWERS.
Great shows Looked For Two an
Three Years Hence.

From the New York Tribune.
The most magnificent display of celestial
fireworks known 10 modern astronomy is
that afforded once in about thirty-three
years by the meteor swarms which seems
to be flying at US from the constellation
Leo. Although the recurrence of this phe-
nomenon in its fullest glory may not be
expected until 1899 or 1900, there is a change
of some faint preliminary indications of II
within the next two weeks. The wonderful
exhibitions of 1888 and of 1866 We're preced-
ed by brilliant meteor showers in mid
November. in 1881 and 1892, and again III
1864 and 1860. Though any one particular bit
of stone belonging 10 the Leonid system
requires thirty-three and quarter years
10 traverse its elliptical orbit, Yet the
swarm is sufficiently stretched out 10 spend
three years in passing the point where It's
path iuterSectS the earthS $ through the
heavens. And the tendency to become more
and more widely distributed as time goes
on has been observed often enough IN the
behavior of similar aggresations, like the
"Perseids," which come in early August,
for instance, to excite anticipauons OF an
increase of struggling among the Leonlds.
The precise time for the earthS $ arrival at
the crossroads is November H. But as
there is a chance thet few wanderers
may stray good deal to one side or the
other of the central line of march, proies-
sional and amateur stargazers Will prooa-
bly keep close watch for the three or FOUR
days preceding ard following that date.
Almost everyone who has given any at
tention TO the geography of the heavens Is
familiar with the group of stars forming
a sickle in the constellation OF Leo. IL Is
from a point within the hook OF the plaue,
near the star Zeta, that the meteors or TINS
system seem to radiate- AS Leo Goes NOT
rise at this time of year until about or
: o'clock in the morning, the majority OF
az yICf
before trying to look for the early NoVem-
ber shooting stars. By or O'Clock the
sickle will have nearly reached the zenith.
There is another swarm which seems 10
proceed from spot IN AnoroHfeua, anu
which comes into the earths nelshpor-
hood once in thirteen years. Inc last W.
encounters with these meteorS occurred IN
1870 and 1885, The next one is due In 1S9s,
but a lookout will also be kept for them
this wear, although there Is little chance OIL
sefng much. Besides. at best the Ahoro-
redes make no such show as the Leohios.
The constellation of Andromeda, however
is in a convenient position for scrutiny.
lvinp a little to the northeast of the zenith
at 8 or 9 O'Clock in the evening. ana on the
meridian at about 10 p. m, when the An
dronedes are due November q or D. For
tunately, the moon this year keeps well out
of the way of those who may be huntins
for meteors belonging to either OF the Two
systems here referred to.
The late November meteors are beheveu
TO he the wreckage of Biela's comet. which
split in two in 1876, reappeared as TWINS IN
1S52 and then failed to come back at an
as a comet. Similarly, the swarm Win
which the earth assumes intimate reia-
tions early in August nearly every year
the Perse,ds. follows a path which has
been found to be identical with another
CTuttles) comet. At least half a dozen
such cases of similarity of orbit between
a wrecked comet and a meteor swarm
have been discovered; so that now close
relationship between the two Is strons!
suspected. Among these parallels is that
existing between the routes OF a certain
..long-period'' comet observed lin 1860 by
Tempel and the Leonids. However, as
these meteors were seen not only in 1858
and 1899, but perhaps centuries ago, they
are not to be regarded as the sole rem
nants of the comet, but possibly fragments
of a piece of the original comet. one
might assume for instance, that the comet
had at some period in its history been di-
yided like Biela's. and that one part con-
tinued to maintain its individuality, but
that the other went entirely to pieces. Inc
famous astronomer. Leverrier, after care
| full computation, reached the conclusion
| that the Tempel comet and Leonids. sep
arate or united, were drawn into the
| solar system from the outer space by the
attractive influence of the planet Uranus.
away back in the year 1aS A. ID. But there
are records of famous meteor showers on
| October l9, s02 and October n, 100: and
| these, il is now strongly suspected. were
| due to the same swarm of tiny flying bod
| les which give rise to our early November
displays. 1t should be remembered. by the
way that even the nucleus of comet is
| generally supposed to be an aggregation OF
very small objects. and not a solid mass;
| but just how closely packed together they
| are when they first come within observa-
| ton Professor Young says it is hard to
| tell.
Brilliant is the momentary effect pro-
| duced when shooting stars enter the
| range of vision. the material of which they
| are composed remains cold and non-lumin-
| Gus until they invade the earths atmos-
| phere. 1t is the heat produced by friction
| with the air which causes them to glow
| And if the body be very small, like a pea
it is almost instantly consumed. But if il
| weighs several ounces. or, what is more
| unusual, several pounds, it may survive
| the ordeal and either reach the surface OF
| the earth or else escape again to inter
| planetary space.
| While these swarms appear to come from
| the distant consultations. they do not ir
| fact Their orbits are elliptical, ore enc
| encircling the sun and the other lying ou
near some of the large planets of the solar
| system. The stars Of Leo, Andromeda ant
| L
| is really millions of times further ava.
than the most distant point reached by tn,
| unconsumed meteors on their outward
bound trips. But by careful hunt fol
the central points from which they seen
| to proceed, the expert astronomer is able
| to learn something of the history of eacf
swarm. Each meteor track is plated OF
a map of the heavens as accurately as pos
sible. and after a number of such track:
| have been charted they begin to assume
| a relation to each other which one woulC
not have suspected. The coolest and mos
| experienced observer. however. is liable tc
make trifing errors In his record, but nov
that ii is possible to photograph meteors
| with a background of stars. far greater
precision is obtainable than was practicabl,
| before. Max Wolf. of Heidelberg, Ger
many, in this way pictured several aero
lites accidentally. while hunting other ce
| lestiai game with his camera. In like man
ger. nearly four years ago. ]. Z. Lewis. o
| Ansonia. Conn, an amateur, also got Q
meteor's track On his plate while pho
| tcgraphing comet Since that time sew
eral deliberate attempts TO secure such
pictures have been made under the direc