New-York tribune., 1896-11-01
NOTEUBER METEOR SHOWERS.
GREAT SHOWS LOOKED FOR TWO AND
THREE YEARS HENCE.

The most magnificent display of celestial fireworks
known TO modern astronomy is that Afforded once
I'm about thirty-threc years by the meteor swarm
which seems come flying At us from the constel-
Iation Leo. Although the recurrence Of this phe-
nomenon in iis fullest glory may rot be expected
until 1saa or 1900 there is chance Of some faint
preliminary indcations Of it within the next two
weeks Tho wonderful exhibitions Of 1888 and OF
1876 were preceded hv brilliant meteor showers IN
mid November, in 1881 and 1N32. ana again III 1871
and 1865. Though any one particular bit oi stone
belonging TO the Leonid system requires thirty
three and quarter years TO traverse It's eliipuca'
orbit. yet the swarm Is sufficiently stretched out TO
spend three years in passing the point where Its
path intersects the earths through the heavens
And the tendency become more and more widely
distributed time goes on has been observed ol'cn
enough in the behavior Of similar aegregations. Ike
the "Perseds" which come in early August, Tor IN
stance to excite anticipa;io OF an increase of
stragsling among the Lconids. TLe precise time
for the earhs arrival at the crossroads IS Noven-
Der g. But as there IS chance that few wan
derers may stray a good deal 10 one side or the
other Of the central line Of march, professional and
amateur starg szers will probably keep close watch
for the three or four days preceding and following
that date.
Almost every one who has given any attention to
the geography Of the heavens is familiar with the
group of stars forming sickle in Inc constellation
Of Leo. II is from point within the hook or the
blade near the star Zeta. that the meteors OF tnis
system seem to radate. As Leo does not rise Al
this time Of year until about or O'Clock In the
morning the majority of Observers will walt unti
tust before dawn before trying look for the early
November shooting stars. by or O'Clock IN"
sickle will have nearly reached the zenith.
There IS another swarm which seems 10 proce"h
from spot In Andromcda. and which comes into
the earth's neighborhood onco III thirteen years
Tho last two encounters with these metcors oc-
-
but lookout will also bc kept for them this year
although there is little chance Of seeing much Be
sides at best the Andromedes make no such sho"
as the Ieonils The constellation Of Andromeda
however Is In a convenient position for scrutiny.
living a little the northeast OF the z"nith Al OF
o'clock in the evening. and on the m'Fu''n 81
about 10 n. m. when the Andromod's are due 40
vember q or g. Fortunately. the moon this year
keeus well out Of tho way of those who may b"
hunting for rnc:cors belonging to c;h"r or VI" TWO
systcms here referred to.
The late November n.ctoors ere believed :" %" '''
wreckage Of Biela's comet. which split Ia TWO III
1876 rcarpeared ~ twins in 1852 and then ftl'd 70
come back at all as a comet. Similarly. the swarm
with which the earth assumes intimate relations
early In August nearly every year. the f'fSei''.
follows a path which has been found TO ic iH"h'i'H
With another CTuto'sj comet. Al least han dozen
such cases OF similarity OF orbit between wrecked
comet and a meteor swarm have been dsco'eT'H'
90 a close r" f'lpf-nit ifiW''.N ''' ''''
strongly suspected. Amonp these parallels ~ INV
.vi.finc bel Wprr the routes Di % crf'hh i'Nh-
period comet observed dn ls1hl hv T'mi"l ana lne
Ieonids. However, a. ih"s" m"''' W. 80" 49,
moi ONLY in 1873 and l.3, but perhaps centuries ago
they are not be regarded a. the rol" iliai1r -.
Tho comet but possibly ~" fragments ~ J" P.''''
tho original comet. one might assume. '"r .'dn''
that the comet had At some period OF ',a nls,otY @
been divided. like bT!a = ana tn., tn, o. '", '., ,h
tinueG 10 maintain its indriduahiy. bnt ma, IN
other wen, entirely 10 reGe, ccn'tiom n, rached
the con cuslon that the Tempe comet ana i"ohl'~
separate or united. were drawn into IN" soar
tom from the outer space "y l1' ~ - i ,, .n,,
once OF the planet Uranus. away ba, ~ inc year
rs A. D. But there are records o. lara's ,q1 ~ r
showers october %. J2. ana oc'"hrI = -,
,h.se II is now strongly suspected wcr" dn" 10 INC
same swarm Of tiny flying bodies wnich fiv" rIS'
TO our early November displays u smUn;r ; D' r.
menobered by-the-way. that even IN" nuclcI- oi ;
80 verv " small objects and not a solid mass. bur
,usf how closely packed together ihcy hi" "lrh
they first come within observation Professor fonnE
brilliant is the Inomentary erect pronursn ,sn
material II which they are composed remains 'oid
and non luminous until they Invade the .ar'n A.
rnosphere. II s the heat produced by iricton VIII
he air which causes them to glow. And II me
BODY be very small ike pea. II l. almost Instant!
hat ~ more unusual several pounds. Il may sur
viye the ordeal and ohor rcach IN" suf'c' oI thc
earth or else escape again 10 interplan'iarF space
While these swarms appear to come rom r IN. az M
tant considerations they DO not III ,ac ,n and :"
The other Wing near some OF the large planc,s
Of the solar system The stars Of Leo hn i
| really millions of times further away than ,ns ,ns
most distant point reached ny the unconsuneo q
meteors ON their outward-bound trips, iut oy q
| careful hunt for the central points from ."hie
they seem proceed the expert astronomer ~ aDle
| 70 learn something OF the history OF .ach swarm
Each meteor track IL plotted on map OF the ne,v
,ns as accurately possible, and after NUMBER
~ such tracks have been chartcd they begin 70 a.
er,me a relation TO each other which one "oulc no,
haze suspected The coolest and most experienced
observer however. Is liable 10 make trihns ctrols
in his record. but now thar u Is possible 10 pho'
| rranh meteors with background of stars iai
eres ter precision Is obtaina bic than was praclcape
before Max Wolf. OF Heideberg Germany. IN ihis
wav pict ircd several aerolites accidentally "hie
hunting other celestial game with MS camera, ~ ~
iike manner nearly four years ago, j. ~ Lewis '"
| Ansonia Conn an amateur. also got meteor
| track on his plate while pho'osraphing a comet
c,rra that time several deliberate sttemps 10 So
cure such pictures have been made unde- inc dlrec-
lion of the Yale observatory the latest ono occur
ring last August Thus far. however the result pa;
been unsatisfactory. owing 10 the lack OF SENSITIVE
ness OF the plates employed Such expernen,,
ought 70 succeed better with Leonids than Perseius
one would suppose. from the differences IN the ss
tinic effect OF the The latter are yeilowish
.nd the former green blue II Ia certainly 10 10
| hnned that DR. Elkins will have his apparatus IN
GOOD working order by 1899. Yet II there shoulh he
"a 40 flashes inside OF five hours. as thcre were ~
Eoston I'm 1875 the plates would need TO be changen
| with great frequency to prevent burring ana ne'