Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-11-05
NOVEMBER METEOR SHOWERS.
Great shows Looked for Two ana
Three YeRrs Hence.


fireworks known 10 modern astronomy Is
that afforded once in about thirty-three
years by the meteor swarm which seems
to come flying at us from the constellation
Leo. Although the recurrence OF thls
phenomenon in its fullest glory may not
be expected until 1893 or 1900. there Is
chance Of some faint preliminary indica-
tions OF II within the next two weeks.
The wonderful exhibitions OF 1883 ana OF
1866 were preceded By brilliant meteor
showers I'm mid-November, I'm 1871 ana
1892. and again in 1854 and 1865. Though
any one particular bit of stone belonging
10 the Leonid system requires thirty-three
and a quarter years to traverse It's elipti-
cal orbit. yet the swarm IL suiiiciently
stretched out TO spend three years IN
passing the point where It's path inter
scots the earth's through the heavens
And the tendency to become more ana
more widely distributed as time goes on
has been observed often enough IN tne
behavior OF similar aggregations IKE the
"Perseids" which come In early August
for instance 10 excite anticipations OF an
increase OF struggling among the Leonids,
The precise time for the earth's arflVai
AT the cross roads IS November 18th. But
there
ers NAV stray a good deal to one side
or the other Of the central line OF marcn,
professional and amateur star-gazers VIII
nrobobIv keep close watch for the three
or four days preceding and following that
date. $500.
Almost every one who has given any
attention to the geography Of the heavens
Is familiar with the group Of stars fern
ing a sickle. IN the constellation OF
Leo. 1t is from a point within the nook
OF the blade. near the star Ieta, tLat
the meteors OF this system seem 10 ra-
date. As Leo does not rise at TINS une
OF year until about J or o'clock IN the
morning. the majority OF observers VIII
wait until just before dawn before Try
ing TO look for the early November shoot
ing stars. BY or o'clock the sickle
will have nearly reached the zenith.
There Is another swarm, which seems
TO proceed from n spot I'm Andromeda
and which comes into the earth's neigh
borhood once i'm thirteen years. The
last two encounters with these meteors
occurred in 1872 and 1885. The next one
is due in 1898; but a lookout viii also be
kept for them this year, although there Is
little chance Of seeing much. Besides, AZ
best, the Andromedes make no such show
as the Ieonids. The constellation Of
Andromeda. however. is in a convenient
position for scrutiny. lying a little to
the northeast Of the zenith az or 8
o'clock I'm the evening, and on the meri-
dian at about 10 +. NJ. when the Andro-
medes are due, November 9th or 18th.
Fortunately. the moon this year keeps
out of the way Of those who may be
hunting for meteors belonging 10 either
Of the two systems here referred TO.
The late November meteors are be-
lieyed 10 be the wreckage Of Biela's
comet. which split in two in 1916. reap
peared as twins IN 1852. and then failed
10 come back at all as comet. Similar
ly. the swarm with which the earth as
sumes intimate relations early In August
nearly every year, the Perseids. follows
a path which has been found TO be luen-
teal with another CTuttle'O comet.
At least half a dozen such cases Of
similarly Of orbit between a wrecked
comet and n meteor swarm have been
discovered. so that now "a close relation
ship between the two Is strongly sus-
pected. Among these parallels is that
existing between the routes Of a GER
tain "long-period" comet observed dn
1860 by Tempel. and tho Leoni1s. How
ever. as these meteOrs We're seen not only
I'm 1893 and 1873. but perhaps CEN
turtles ago. they are not 70 De regarded
as the sole remnants of the comet but
possibly the fragments Of a piece Of the
original comet. one might assume. for
instance, that the comet had at some
period Of It's history been divided like
Biela's, and that one part continued 10
maintain its individuality. but that the
other went entirely 20 pieces. The IA
nous astronomer LeverTier after care
ful computation. reached the conclusion
that the Tempel comet and Leonids
separate or united, were drawn into the
solar system from the outer space by the
attractive influence Of the planet Uranus,
away back I'm the year l26 \. ID. But
there are records of famous meteor
showers on October 10. S2. ana October
| a. l2l2: and these. il is now strongly sus-
pected. were due TO the same swarm Of
tiny flying bodies, which give rise TO our
early November displays. IL should be
remembered. by the way, that even thu
nucleus OF comet Is generally supposed
10 be an aggregation OF very small oh
iects. and not solid mass; but just how
closely packed together they are wher
they first come within observation Pro
lessor Young says IL is hard to tell
Brilliant as 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
luminous until they invade the earth.
| atmosphere. IL IS the heat produced by
| friction with the air which causes then
10 glow. And II the body be very small
! like a pea-it Is almost instantly con
sumcd. But If II weighs several ounces
| or what H. more unusual, several pounds
! il may survive the ordeal ana either
reach the surface Of the earth or else
escape again to interplanetary space.
! While these swarms appear TO come
/ from the distant consultations they dc
/ not in .act. Their orbits are ellptical
/ one end encircling the sun and the Other
| lying out near some of he large planets
/ Of the solar system The stars OF Leo
| Andromeda, and Perseus merely form
| background which IS really millions OF
times further away than the most distant
| point reached by the unconsumed ME
| teOrs on their outward-bound trips Blu
| by a careful hunt for the central point.
from which they seem to proceed, the ex
pert astronomer is able 10 learn some
! thing Of the history Of each swarm. Eaci
meteor track is plotted on a map Of th'
| heavens as accurately as possible, anC
! after number Of such tracks have beer
charted they begin TO assume a relation
| 10 each other which one would not have
SUSPECTED. The coolest and most ex
perienced observer, however, Is liable t,
make trhing errors in his record. bu
now that it is possible 10 photograph
meteors. with a background OF stars. IA
greater precision Is obtanable than wa
| practicable before Max Wolf. Of Heidel
| berg. Germany, in this way pictured sew
eral aerolites accidentally. while hunting
| other celestial game with his camera
In like manner, nearly four years ago
]. Il. Lewis, Of Ansonia. Conn, an anna
teur. also got a meteor's track on hi
plate while photographing a comet. Sine
that time several deliberate attempts &
secure such pictures have been mad
under the direction OF the Yale Observa