Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-05-06
SHOWERS OF METEoRS,
Inc Earth win InteSeot the Stream
This Month,

STARTLING shooting stars" blazing in
70 dissolution from the heat sausNi nv
friction with the earth's atmosphere,
says a writer in The New York Herald.
ASTRONOMERS the world over are pre-
pairing to witness The display. which
VIII be at lis height about the middle
OF November, and local astr,u amers
are in readiness to make careful chser-
ratiops.
| asked Prof. Robert Spice, as,ronG-
mer OF the Cooper institute: What
are the special purposes Of the obscr-
Mtions that are to be made?"
The special purposes are thra sCold,"
he answered, O To establish the
point of radiation, or the point from
which the meteors apparently proceed,
for, although they move in parallel
lines, perspective draws these lines to-
Eether rs they recede from us, From
the fact that the great November
streams apparently 1diate from the
constellation Leo, they have been
termed Leonids, (D To learn the rola-
ton of mcteors to lost comets; and (S)
to establish the fact whether or not
comets produce meteors, or whether
comets are the result OF meteors, or
whether both of these are effects of one
cause.
"FNr many years observations OF tha
various streams of moteors have been
made. and though We are continually
adding to the sum of knowledge there
is an absence OF agreement on all
points"
There Is one fact quite well estab-
lished." continued Prof. Spice. which
is that meteors and comets are closely
connected with each other, This fact
has been well established by the obeer-
vations of Prof II. A. Newton Of Yale
college, and also of many other obser-
vers, Some astronomers for instance,
Pro-, Schiaparoli- comets IL
captured meteoric flights; others believe
meteors to be broken up comets; and
yet Others look on both these phenom-
ena rs the effects OF one cause, There
is undoubtedly a rcal association be-
tween the orbits OF certain meteorlc
streams and missing comets. Tho or
bit OF the large comet of 1862, the APP
praraLce of which WIS accomplished by
streams, and then The Identify of the
shower Of meteors of November, 1872.
with the path of Blelas lost comet,
has been satisfactorily demonstrated.
scientifically considered there is
much q interest In these meteorIc dis
plays, and the observations at this time
VIII Increase in importance until about
the last Of November In this century,
when the carth's ~ Bit will iatersect the
meteoric orbit, when the greatest mass
or the stream OF metcorS Ia due Mt that
point, Then we will be likely to wit
IL, IS a display like those that have oc-
Cured about every thrty-throe and
one-quaWcr years as long back as there
arc any records. We will likely see
some of the meteors, too. Though
records only show eleven that have
actually been seen to fall some 800
specimens are In the museums that are
quite certainly meteois. Some of these
can be seen in the Metropolitan Mu-
scam o. Art"
There have been from time TO time
various theories besides the comet one
advanced rs 10 the origin Of these me-
teors, and some Of these are strongly
upheld today. Among them Is the
claim that these streams have been
cast up by earthly planetary or sun vol
canic eruptions, with sufficient force to
throw them beyond gravity attraction,
causing them to take up an independ-
ent orbit
The amateur as well as the profess
sional astronomer can observe the mo-
ton, direction and number OF those
celestial tramps, whose advance guard
Is now nearing us. Nightly, as we more
closely approach the grade crossing"
where the track Of the earth and the
meteors intersect, we can expect TO see
the bright specks OF comets In our up
per atmosphere In increasing numbers,
and may look ont for actual collisions,
but these bodies, nearly always o. In
finlteslmal size, composed OF material
similar to that found in the earth, Will
be consumed by the thousands when
they strike our atmosphere. and but few
Will be OF substance enough to zach
the ground. The vast number likely 10
be seen can be appreciated when II Is
remembered that on the night OF Nov.
II. 1872, 10000 OF these meteors were
counted by a single observer In two
hours
AS Intimated, the earth on It's present
trip VIII only meet the advance guard
Of the stream Of meteOrs that In It's
revolution about the sun pours Itself
across the November section OF our
orbit, but ~ the stream % meteors Is
about eight years long-sthat Is, eight
gears being required for the entire
stream to pass a given polnt-we will |
meet II again In November, 1897, when |
We will likely pass through It's most
dense portion, which IL about 100 900 !
miles In thickness. Then FOR several !
years It's number will grow less until |