The Hawaiian gazette., 1898-11-15
A Season Of Mstsoit Showers
Nov at Hand
TINE VISITS Of the ltnolOs
How swsrms Become e-Crsai
Velocity Collision WIN TIVE
Earth Hours.

Throughout interplanCtary aud inter-
stellar space are scattered. sometimes
like swarms of bees. sometimes Ike
clouds Of dust. vast numbers of small
cold particles OF matter too small to
be seen by the little light which they
reflect. Many % hese particles move
together as a group in greatly elongat-
ed elliptical paths about the sun, re-
quiring from ten 20 even more than one
hundred years to complete the circuit
of their orbit. These swarms may be-
come visible in either OF two ways:
first, by near approach to the sun
when the intensely illuminated mass
becomes visible as a comet; or second
the individual particles, rushing
through space at speed fifty times
that of projectile from l3-inch
gun. entering the earth's atmosphere.
become incandsscent from friction
with the air. These latter constitute
the shooting-stars or meteors.
During the present month our earth
will encounter two of these swarms,
one on or about the 18th and another
about the 27tA or 2Sth. In other words
the path OF the swarms crosses the
earths orbit at that place reached by
the earth on OF about the 18th and on
or about the 27th or 2Sth. The first
swarm encountered Is the larger and
is known as the Leonids on account of
the fact that the meteors appear most
numerous in the constellation Leo and
in fact appear to radlate from it.
mere appearance however, due entirely
to perspective. The Leonids are a great
swarm whose period is about 80 years,
that is Il requires 33 years for them
TO make one complete circuit of their
orbit, and the most dense portion OF
the group will not be encountered until
1899, Nov. 18Th. But the particles of
the swarm are so infinite in number
and SO scattered along the orbit that
the astronomers feel confident that a
large number Of meteors may be seen
during the nights of the llth, 18th
18th and possibly 18th OF this month
THESE meteors and the earth are 10
meet in head-on collisions SO that they
will rush through our atmosphere at
q rate of speed, which Is the sum OF
the velocity Of the earth per second OF
time and their own velocity per second
Probably therefore they will speed
Through the air at the rate of from
% to 80 miles per second. As to the
result of the collision we need not
fear. The earth can easily endure the
lpelting, because the particles are very
small weighing only from 80 to zoe
|srains and they will be entirely burned
10 dust and finally fall as an impalp-
able powder 10 the earth's surface
But while they are burning they will
be brilliant streaks of light. The earth
annually gathers in this way 10000
lions of meteoric dust.
Persons in Honolulu desiring to oh.
serve the phenomenon may watch the
Eastern sky at any time after 1l:OC
at which time the Constellation Leo
Twill just commence to rise from the
Eastern horizon.
AT the request Of Prof. Pickering OF
Harvard University, Prof ingalls, and
others will make observations at Oahu
college, taking account of the number
and the path Of the meteors during the
nights OF Nov. 18th. 18th, 18th and
18th.
Cant. LOAhlborp. manager of la.