The evening times., 1897-08-10
SHOWER OF THE METEORs
Beautiful Celestial Phenomenon
Will Be Visible Tonight.
IN THE NORTHEASTERN SKY
They VIII Originate From the Com
steIlation Perseus- us-sYith "A Clear
Sky the Meteoric Display should
BE Unusually yivid-No Danger
of Particles Reaching the Earth.

Tonight and several succeeding nights
this week, weather conditions proving IA
vorable. AN unusual and brilliant display
of shooting stars may he witnessed Ia the
.heaveas. The phenomenon is the annual
ran OF the August meteors.
Although on almost any clear night in
the year a large number of falling stars ma
he seen with little close observation, yet
at this time much more brilliant display
may add interest TO the heavens At times
the sky is viridly lighted with the glow of
falling thousands, and yet at OTHER times,
when showers are due, the number Is not
so larre Still this year il INA y be reason
ably eKpes1ed that a goodly number may
he gisiiAe.
The n.eteoTic swarins which give rise TO
the showers circle m a large eliipse. They
are in this case, scattered about equally in
all parts of 1t. Therefore, a shower is eX-
pected each year 1t is tn earth, IN her
annual course around the sun, Infringing
upon this helt Of meteors which causes the
showers. As the meteore are about equally
scattered every year when the sun rc aches
this belt we have a shower except, per
haps, at times place is reached where they
uIe mere sparsely distributed.
Although countless millions OF very small
-narticles (Which are the neteorsl fill this
grea. ellpse. yet astronomical research has
been able to delve into the dark depths
OF space. and de;ect laws which govern
these apparently erratic Lodies The as
tronenser has found That they do travel In
hoE
tanned that all the PARTICLES move in par
sllel COURSES. The orbit OF the meteors
hak beea, laid out in space. and il can be
calculated when the earth viii meet the
upeieoric zones, when the tiny apparent
stars attempt TO lombard the earth.
The meteors Will be particularly notice
able IN the northeastern quarter of the
sky. and viii originate from the constella-
ton Perseus. This constellation, however,
does not rsse until very late dt night. and
the shoe ting-siars viii be more numerous
an :he early morning The ordinary shoot
ing stars seen nig. .:tly are also more nuIneF
Gus tow ard dawn.
The nie:eors. owing to their origin in
Perseas. arc often termed PersAids. They
are said TO have their origin in Perseus
because. If heir tracks be traced backward
they viii intersect at almost The same point
In this constellation. Indeed. in a large
shower, the msteuns OF the shower seem 10
be issuing from. The same point This
poin; is kHowE to the astronomer as the
radiant"
The c,lor OF the August nheteOrs is usa-
ally yellowish, and they travel, always In
straight lines, with medium velocity There
are several other showers which are due
at various seasons of the year. but az have
characlcTistiC features. There il q shower, ,
which arrives in November, whose neteors
arc very swift in motion and appear green
isF 10 color They are known as the LeOnids.
By the way, a large and most beautiful
shower OF these meteOrs viii probably fall
In 1893 A most brilliant one fell in 1913,
and caused nmchexcitement. Many thought
noomsday had come 80 vividly was the sky
hearteTl up 10y these celestial pyrotechnics
The fall of these showers is closely asSO
ciated with the return Of comets which
have been lost A shower in early Novem-
beris closely associated with Biela comet,
which niyStcriously disappeared from
human observation, and is supposed 10
have gone TO pieces This early November
shower is very reasonably thought 20 be
the meeting Oh bne liriNH va
this conset, which are flying about in space
The August shower is thought 20 have
some connection with that bright comet OF
1862 known as Tuttle's comet. The orbit
of the mrteors and that Of the oUmet are
almost identical.
The mention OF comets and the disinte-
grated parts falling TO the earth is suffi-
cient TO arouse fears in the minds Of some
and to bring up the cid question as 10
what would be the result If a comet should
collide with the earth. There need he no
fear or a comet, or a meteoric shower, a
ccmet's remains. doing INJURY 70 the earth.
To ALA fears let il he said that none or
very few, OF the component parts OF a
shower ever reach the earth.
The showers are composed OF infinitely
small particles, which are consumed al
most spontaneously by the heat generated
by friction with the atmosphere. This heat
il is which causes them 20 glow and TO be
come visible. But, before they are within
fifty mites OF the earth's surface, they are
gone W in vspor; theirlittle iightsare for
ever burned out, and they have passed
away, onl yto aforementioned byarnomeuts
pale phosphorescent glow
rF-,-uTNf. CRIMINAL