The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-09
THE GREAT METEOR SHOWER.
1t As Not Due for Two Years, but This
Week May Bring Developments.

New York Tribune.
There is scarcely a clear night when the
watchful observer of the heavens may not
see a meteor or two, but there are speclaI
seasons and years when these wanderers
from outer space stray into the earth 5 at
mosphere in much greater abundance. me
most magnificent displays OF this class now
on record We're those OF november, 1853 anu
1866 A recurrence Of the phenomenon, ia
its fullest glory is not looked for by astrons
omerS until 1899. But the advance sudIu
was visible in 1881 and 1892 and again in
1864 and 1865 There is a reasonable chance,
therefore, that if the weather is hne at
just the right time this year something out
of the ordinary will be witnessed.
1t is now generally believed that meIeo-
rites are the wreckage of comets. Inc
greatest swarms of these bodies now KNOWN
have been found TO move through VAST
elliptical orbits identical with those OF
comets that have gone to pieces. Ihe par
ticular system here considered. known as
the Leonds, require over thirty-thfee years
to make a complete circuit and, theteiore'
it is only at such intervals that the maxi
mum number of particles in the loose ag-
gregation reach that point in their tourney
where they cross the earth's path. But me
procession is becoming gradually strung
out somehow, so that few OF the uhy.
cold, invisible bodies constituting the swa m
get to the meeting place year or TWO
ahead of time. Such as become seriously
entangled in the earth's atmosphere never
get out again; for by friction they are
heated to incandescence-the shine Tor
few seconds while being consumed, ana
then leave only a trace of smoke and dust.
But so enormous is the number composing
the mann system that THIS TODD6Iy, even "
the extent of millions, seems to make no
sensible reduction III the quantity that -
left.
The schedule time for the earth's arrival
at the crossroads is Nov. II and 14-next
Saturday and Sunday. w. f. Denn1ng, one
of the great English authorities on meteor
showers. says that watch should be MAIN
tanned the following days also. me
stream is wide as well as long and though
the meteOrites are widely separated, there
is possibility of seeing some OF them LOT
about four days. The spot in the skies
from which these meteors seem TO proceed
is in the constellation Leo. Every amateur
star-gaZer is familiar with the Sickle
shaped combination of stars in this group.
What is called the radiant point is inside
the hook of the sickle. Leo does not rise
until midnight at this season. For this ana
for other reasons the hours Just peIore
dawn are most favorable to observation or
Leonids. One should scan the northeastern
heavens for this purpose.
In order to enable one to decide whether
any meteor which he sees belongs to the
thirty three-year system, or some other IL
is desirable to note from what region IN
the skies 1t seems TO start IL mas peen
suggested that amateur observers will ind
it helpful to have light straight wand
within easy reach, If not actually in hand.
At the instant a meteor is seen this wand
is held up against the sky to mark the pain
approximately. and serves as guide TO the
eye after the luminous streak mas dlsap-
peared. The chances are that the. visible
starting point will not be very close TO
the celestial sickle; but if the line along
which it moves, being EXTENDED packWaro
in imagination, intersects Leo, then the
meteor may be safely regarded a true
Leonid, no matter in what direction 1T
Slantwise. Another test may be found IN
the color of the shooting star. Leonids are
usually blue or green, though not lnvar zap
and August, and called Perseids, because
they appear to come from the CONSTELLATION
Perseus are usually yellowish In neither
case however, is the hue uniform.
The first photographs OF neteors ever ob-
tanned were taken when plates We're ex-
posed for another purpose. For instance,
Professor Barnard (then at the. Lick OBJ
servatory) was making a picture OF
Brooks's comet in 1898, and found, upon de-
veloping the plate. that straight. narrow
line was sharply defined thereon. This was
produced by brilliant meteor, which
crossed the field of view during the ex-
posture. Owing to the faintness of the
comet the plate was exposed for something
like three hours. But the comets motion
through space was very rapid and 1t was
not at the same rate or in the same direc-
ton as that of the stars. The camera was
therefore slowly moved so as to keep the
image of the comet perfectly stationary on
the plate and, in consequence, the stars
had enough apparent motion to make short,
broad trails.
Max Wolf, of Heidelberg, and J. E. Lewis,
of Ansonia, Conn, also obtained photo
graphs Of meteors in the same accidental
way. The first man to get them intention
ally, 1t is probable, was DR.. w. L. Elkin.
of Yale University. An elaborate inStru-
ment has been devised by this well-known
astronomer for photographing meteors. He
mounts from four to six cameras on a sim
gle polar axis covering different see-
tons of the sky. The apparatus is on
used at those special seasons when metes
showers are to be expected Mr.. Dennin&.
the English astronomer already referred to.
has followed DR.. ElkinS'S example. Clock
work is not essential to this work, how
ever, and any amateur photographer, with
a lens of not too wide an angle, ought to
be able to get pictures of Leonids.