The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-12-17
WAYS OF METEORs
Screened by Onr Atmosphere From
These Bullets of the Sky.
Description of Meteoric Shower by Sir
Robert Ball.
washington Star.)

AStfououy is BeueIdily oOAC0iAoo
about objects of huge dimensions. For
though many of the celestial bodies may
appear to US to be small on account OF
the vast distance by which we are Sc pa
rated from them, yet they are in many
cases mighty globes comparable with our
earth in bulk, or, more usually, hum
dreds or even millions of times greater.
There is, however. one class OF objects.
strictly belonging to the province OF as
tronomy, which have no pretentsions to
consideration on the ground of their
bulk. The objects of which speak are,
in fact, not as large as even the smallest
of moons or the most telescopic of planets
They are not even so big as the noun
tains on the earth; the majority OF them
are indeed little pieces of matter no
larger than the pebbles on asgarden walk.
I dare say that many of them are not
greater than the grains Of sand on the
seashore. We denote them by the word
meteors.
These little objects must, however. be
regarded as bodies which come within
the province of the astronomer, for they
have an existence quite independent of
our earth, an 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.
nj Ho
bullet, a meteor urges its way at a pace
far in excess of that with which any rife
bullet has ever been driven, or, we may
indeed say, far in excess of that with
which any rifle bullet ever could be
driven.
We find that meteors are generally
animated with speeds far in excess of
these possessed by any rife bullet. For
our present purpose there is no occasion
to inquire as to the manner in which
such terrific velocities have been or1Gl-
nally impaired. All that we have now to
consider is the fact these little objects
when moving in fres space are certainly
hurrying along with velocities ten times,
twenty times, fifty times, or sometimes
even lUU times as SWlIG as tuo sWhuece
rife bullet that ever was fired.
ROUND THE GLOBE IN TEN MIN
UTES.
II q meteor were to fly round the
equator while preserving all the time its
characteristic speed, it wouid take no
more than two or three minutes to cross
each of the continents and each Of the
oceans which lay in it's way; and, in fact
the whole journey round the globe would
be accomplished within ten minutes.
Animated by such speed body would
pass from Liverpool 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 it's course with this
stupendons rapidity may pass near the
earth say at a distance of thousand
miles or so. Ii then pursues its way and
entirely escapes our attention. No dou bt
the attraction of the great mass OF the
earth will, to a cer5ain extent, pull the
object and compel 1t to swerve from the
direction it has been following, but Pro
yided it gets clear of the atmosphere
which SO completely invests the earth,
the meteor will be uninjured and will
uOU lUcS lUS sOiOO4uJs AOoOcAS~' ~ -
dsy, nay every hour and every minute,
unseen meteors are passing by the earth,
narrowly escaping a fall which would
forever terminate their wanderings.
Suppose, however. the direction of the
motion of meteor be such that it enters
our earth's atmosphere. Immediately
its terrific motion is checked. 1t might
almost be said to be checked with nearly
the same emphasis as the speed of an
ordinary rife bullet would be checked il
il were fred into a hay stack. The speed
which the meteor possesses before 1T has
struck into our atmosphere cannot posi-
bly be maintained afferward. The resls-
tence of the air will not permit it. But
tbe efforts of the celestial wanderer to
continue its astonishing movements aIter
it has taken the plunge Lead 70 conse-
ouences which. though fe al to the
meteor. are of thu highest interest.
RESULT OF FRICTION.
Every one knows that the friction of
two bodies rubbing against each other is
FREQ GENTLY accompanied by the produe-
ton of heat. A neglected axle-box in a
carriage in rapid motion has occasionally
been known to set railway train on
fire. In this case the axle, from not be-
ing properly supplied with grease, had
become hot from friction. and as the
friction still continued the heat gradual
~ rose until temperature sufficient to
produce ignition had been generated AS
the lying meteor dashes through the air,
the sir rubs on the surface OF the little
missile. 1t can be shown by experiment
that the friction of the air against a body
hurrying rapidly through it produces
heat
1t is true thar we are not actually able
to try this experiment with body NOV
ing SO quickly as meteor, but we Gan
EXPERIMENT up to certain point, and
tnen calculation will take up the reason
ing, and conduce to very striking re-
suit. We can show that when meteor
dashes into our atmosphere the heat gel-
Grated as it pierces It's way through by
friction will be sufficient, not alone to
warm the object, but to make it red hot,
anu even white heat. Nay, further, the
heat that can be produced by the friction
Of cold body striking into our cold at
mosphere may become higher than that
which is generated in O blass furnace. 1t
may be higher than the temperature in