The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-06
THE METE0RIC DISPLAYS
THE ONE DUE NEXT SUNDAY NIGHT
MAY BE OF GREAT BRILLIANGE.
Possible Effects of n Large Meteor
COlIiding with the Enrth-The
Great Display of Next Year.


The Journal about a week ago printed an
article on the subject of meteors, in which
there are some slight mistakes. which 1
hope you will allow me to correct and give
further information on the subject. There is
an intense interest manifested on the sub
Ject at present on account of the near ap-
proach of the time at which they appear.
The writer of the article alluded to says:
1.-THE great Leonid meteors which envelop
the earth in fiery spectacles once in every
thirty-three and a quarter years" The fact
is. those meteors have an orbital motion
around the once in thirty-three and
twenty-seven hundredths years, but our
earth cuts that orbit once every thirty-three
years exactly, but not in the same place
The swarm of meteors are spread over
about one-ffteenth part of the orbit, and
as they are a fraction slower than our
earth, the earth passes through each time
in another place. Again the writer says:
TT is thought by astronomers that Biela's
comet, that disappeared and has not been
seen since 1852. is in connection with this
swarm This is not exactly correct. 1t is
supposed by some astronomers that Biela' S
comet was taken into the swarm of August
meteors 0he perseids.) Prof. Newcomb, in
his late work on astronomy, says: THE
fact that the earth, in its course around the
sun. encounters millions of meteoroids every
day is shown by the shooting stars, and
leads to the result that the solar system
is, so to speak, crowded with such bodies
revolving in all sorts of erratic orbits. If
a body should fall into the sun Tor the
earth) from a great height all the force
of its fall would be turned into heat, and
the heat mus produced would be enormous
ly greater than any that would arise from
the combustion of the falling body"
The interplanetary space is filled with dark
bodies in the form of star dust, and larger.
So great are some of them that they OBJ
scure the light of the star suns. These stars
are called variable stars.
NOVEMBER METEORS.
What are termed the Leonids, or the No
vember meteors, have an eccentric elliptical
revolution around the sun in thirty-three
and twenty-seven-hundre years. 1t is
generally supposed by Schiaparelli and lie
Verrier to be the remains of comet that
has an aphelion distance as far as or
beyond Neptune. The plane of it's orbit is
about 16S degrees to the ecliptic, consequent
~ the earth crosses its orbit only about
every thirty-three years and comes in con-
tact with some of it's members. This gives
us the brilliant display of what are called
our November meteoric showers. Now,
somewhere along this group of meteors is
the head of the former comet cit is not
necessary to enter into long and tedious
discussion of the physical and astronomical
laws to prove this) This head is dark
body, and on account of the position of the
orbit is unseen from the earth. If now the
earth should come in contact with the
larger mass of these Leonids, which it is
very likely to do, the result would be just
occur at the end of the age: 1.-The powers
of heaven will be shaken" That is, the
equilibrium of the forces, centrifugal and
tangential, would be dissolved and the body
would rush with intense rapidity to the
earth. The earth encounters this group of
meteorids every thirty-three years, but not
always in the same part of the group. This
group is revolving in its orbit in opposition
to the earth. Professor Newcomb says the
point of intersection of the two orbits
moves forward about fifty-two seconds per
annum, or nearly degree and half in
century, owing to a change in the position
Of the meteoric orbit. The swarm of
meteorids is not equally scattered all around
their orbit, but the thickest portion extends
along about one-tifteenth of the orbit 1T
is by no means inconceivable,,' says
Herschel, that the earth. approaching to
such as differ but little from 1t in direction
and velocity, may have attached many of
would lead us to believe in the existence of
at least one such body revolving around this
earth about 5000 miles from the earth"
The relation of the November Aneteoroids
70 temples comet is given in the words of
Professor Newcomb, viz: The November
meteoric showers are caused by the earth
encountering a swarm of particles follow
ing. Temples comet in its orbit"
discovered a remarkable relation be-
tween meteoric and cometary or
bits. Astronomers have differed widely
of of fha oil of
the comets Some have considered them
nothing but vapor but recent discoveries
by Professor Peirce have led astronomers
to conclude that the head or nucleus is COM
posed or matter of metallic density. Prof.
Newcomb says: IF we considered only this
circumstance, and the general analogy
with teescopic comets, we should say that
even the densest part of the comet was
nothlng but cloud OF solid, or liquid par
tlcles, so thick that it looked solid as a
cloud does IN our sky. But if this was the
vestigation of the comet of 1853 and the
comet of 1850 must have been completely
pulled apart by the enormous tidal forces
sun. In the opinion of this investigator.
the fact that they went through such an
ordeal shows them to be of metallic dem
EFFECTS OF COLLISION.
'"The question is frequently asked, what
would be the effect if a comet should strike
the earth? This would depend upon what
sort of a comet it was, and what part of the
comet came in contact with our planet. The
latter might pass through the tail of the
largest comet without the slightest effect
being produced, the tau being so thin and
airy that a million miles thickness of it
looks only like gauze in the sunlight 1t is
not at all unlikely that such a thing may
have happened without ever being noticed
A passage through a telescope comet would
be accompanied by a brilliant meteoric
shower. probably a far more brilliant one
than has ever been recorded. No more Sc
rious danger would be encountered than
that of heat arising from a possible fall of
meteorites. But a collision between the
neeleus of a large comet and the earth
might be serious matter. If, Professor
Peirce supposes the nucleus is solid body
of metallic density. many miles in diameter,
the effect where the comet struck would be
terrific beyond conception. AT the first con-
tact in the upper regions of the atmos-
rhere the whole heavens would be illum-
mated with a resplendence beyond that of a
which would blind every eye that beheld it
and heat which would melt the hardest
rocks in a few seconds, while the huge body
was passing through the atmosphere, ard
the collision at the earths surface would
in an instant reduce everything there ex-
listing to fiery vapor. and bury itself miles
deep in the solid earth.
These meteors travel with the velocity of
TWENTY-FIVE miles in a second, while the
earth at the point Of contact, goes at the
rate OF nineteen miles a second in the OPP
posite direction. If they could come in con-
tact the impetus OF collision would be at