Omaha daily bee., 1898-11-13
METEORIC SHOWER TONIGHT
Constellation Leo Rises at Midnight in a
Fiery Spectacle.
PELTs THE EARTH WITH MOLTEN LEeloNs
Course Of the Meteor Will BE Marked
by Brilliant PyrOtechnics in the
Heavens which Are AVE.
Inspiring.

II he happens to look up ~serenely into the
sky in the east, will see the grandest me-
teoric display Of recent years. The con-
stellation OF Leo rises at midnight, and when
he swings into view above the horizon and
mounts the heavens his path will be marked
by a fiery spectacle stupendous in magni-
tude and dazzling in beauty-the opening
assault Of the Leonid meteors which besiege
the earth in molten legions three times in
every century.
The main body Of these aerial wanderers
will cross the orbit of the earth in Novem-
Der, 1899, but as the host extends over a
length Of 1000, 900, 900 of miles, our sphere
comes in contact with them three times be-
fore tho last has passed the point Of inter-
section.
According to William F.. Rigge, professor
of astronomy in Creighton college, the dis
| play which will be seen tonight will not
compare in magnitude or beauty with what
would be visible at noon tomorrow II 1t were
possible for us to obscure the sun. At that
time the earth will pass through the densest
OF the meteorlc array, and when the con-
stellation Of Leo arises again Monday night
the rear files Of the train will still be
streaming across the point of intersection.
The approach Of the shower will be seen
hho Vhhto WV SohotS = 10 SSAAh SNAS
the horizon. The meteors will shoot upward
like skyrockets discharged at a distance and
dimly discernible through the mist and fog
that hang close to the earth. Later, as the
radiant point approaches the zenith, their
paths when traced backward will appear to
meet like the spokes Of a gigantic wheel
hung in the sky. The wanderers, coming
from the eastward, will enter the at
mosphere Of the earth with a velocity Of
forty-four miles a second.
Another Shower Coming.
Another great meteoric shower will occur
the night Of November 81, and will be
caused by the meeting OF the earth with
the meteOrs known as the Andromedes, or
Bielids, which were last seen in a great
shower In 1885. At that time a huge ball
Of molten iron, dropping from the sky,
buried itself in the ground near Mazapil, In
| Mexico.
Instead OF running to meet the Andro-
medes meteors, as 1t does with the Leonids,
the earth will move away from them, and
it is only on account Of their great velocity
that they can overtake it. The result Is
that those who have watched the swiftly.
flying Leonids will think that they are NOV
ing very slow. Another difference will be
observed in the colors. While the prevail
AH6 mug VI thC ASohluo . piuO oLa 6tCCAe
that OF the Andromedes Is red.
Until the year 126 Of our era there Is
reason to- believe that the Leonid meteors
were free wanderers In open space. Then
they encountered the planet Uranus and
were diverted into a closer orbit around
the sum-, .intersecting that Of the earth.
Perhaps before this meeting the meteors
formed a comet, as the Andromedes did be-
fore 1872. What the ultimate effect Of theii
repeated encounters with the earth will DO
can easily be conjectured, as they are every
time more widely scattered.
The encounter with these meteors in 1888
furnished a spectacle that spread terror
broadcast over the whole world. The great
est excitement was among the negro slaves
Of the south, who believed that the end OF
the world was at hand. Their masters
could no! disabuse them of their fears ana
their excitement only abated with the pass,
ing Of the phenomenon. In 1866 the dis
play was q brilliant one, and the showers
were seen both before ands after the pass
ing OF the densest part OF the train. This
fact gives the assurance that the showers
will be seen tonight.
Meteor Has An Accident.
The Andromeda meteors which are due
on the eth Of this month have had a more
remarkable, though a briefer history, than
the Leonids. They are not known to have
been seen before 1872. But previous to that
time q we'll known comet travelled their
track. Fifty years ago something wonder
full happened to that comet-perhaps a crash
with an asteroid-and when 1t appeared
again in 1859 1t came as a double comet,
though its parts had been flung hundreds
Of thousands of miles apart. But when it
was next due, in 1872, instead Of the twin
comets, a host of meteors appeared In the
sky, indicating another mishap. The
meteors came again in 1885, when one OF
them fell in Mexico. and now they are due
again. They will not make the pyrotech-
meal display that the Leonids will because
they will not be favored by SO modest a
moon. 1t will shine out in all its full
power, flooding the heavens with a light that
will pale the phosphorescent streaks Of the
Andromedes.
In viewing a shower of meteors. all of
which seem to be pelting the earth with
unrelentless fury, the average observer who
gazes upon the panorama with unrufhed
equanimity is unaware in how simple a
manner we are protected from their on.
slaughts. The air Is our armor and 1t proves
almost invulnerable. What the effect OF q
small meteor striking q human body with
undiminished velocity would be We can only
guess. Would Such a DOdy, winch, Wnen
it meets the atmosphere has a speed of from
80. 1000 to ESQ, 900 feet per second, blow a man
to pieces, or would 1t incinerate him like a
stroke OF lightning, as it is Itself by the
heat Of its rush through the air? We may
calmly ask these questions while We watch
the thousands Of such missiles burning
themselves to harmless puffs OF gas a few
miles above our we'll protected heads. So
OF the swarms that filed the air as thick
as frefies during previous manifestations
of the phenomena, only one Is known to
have reached the earth. the Mazapil meteor,
and that cannot be definitely said to have
belonged to the train from which 1t seemed
to fall.
But there Is a peril from the meteors
that comes from another direction. During
the shower an extraordinary amount OF
matter coming from the outer space will
be introduced by them into our atmosphere.
1t will float in invisible clouds above our
heads and will gradually sink to our level
to be inspired in infnitesimal quantities
with every breath that We draw. In the
arctic regions this dust has been seen
sprinkled on the snow in a thin layer Of
blackness stretching for miles along the
white expanse, and deep sea soundings have
shown that the ooze at the oceans bottom