The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-14
THE MONTH OF METEoRs.
The Earth Now said to BE in the
MeteOric 8eIt.


From the Chicago Times-Herald.
This is the month of meteors. Those
who look at tho clear sl1y-especially
those who are away at summer resorts or
in the suburbs where the heavens are not
obscured by the smoke Of the city-note
sudden flashes of light across the celestial
vault These are usually called shooting
stars. but are known to astronomers as
rneteors. During the latter part OF July
tbev begin to be frequently seen at night,
becoming more frequent as August APP
rroaches and passes until the 10th, 1lth
and 18th of the month, when they are
most brilliant The same phenomenon IS
repeated in November, when they appear
most numerously on the 18th.
Everyone has noticed the brilliant heaV-
only pyrotechnics, and probably nearly
everyone with an inqussitive nature mas
wondered where they came from and
where they go.
Their story is this Twice year, in
August and November, while the earth Is
travelling it's annual journey around the
sun our planet crosses the path OF a great
band of meteors. Those IN the belt en-
countered in August have been named
Perseds and those of November Leonids.
They merely glow for an instant an a pain
of light between the stars ana disappear
Their exact origin is unknown, but their
regular return gives them the dignity OF
a constellation and precudes the posi-
bility Of their being comet-like. The reg
ularitv Is explained only by conceiving
them to be a part of the solar system.
If we suppose a ring composed OF an i'm
mense number of particles and conceive
this ring to have such a position around
the sun that the earth will pass into It IN
August and November, then we should
4. lien
this explanation is accepted as correct. AS
for the origin of the ring, that is to an
even greater extent an object of specula-
ton, although one theory that is popular
is that a comet has been arrested In It's
fight around the earth or one OF the plan
els and distributed in a ring around the
sun, it's gases and vapors condensed into
particles too small to be seen until fired
by contact with the air
However that may be- their destiny is
known, When the earth enters the belt
the operation of the laws of graVitation
is sufficient to attract these particles 10
the terrestrial sphere, Plunging into the
atmosphere of the earth at a distance of
seventy or eighty miles from the surface.
the resistance Of the air Is sufficient to
check their flight. So great is the friction
caused by tire tremendous speed at which
the meteor is travelling that the heat Is
sufficient TO dissolve the stone In streak
OF merry VdpOr. IL Is ike tHS HSHlHluS u a
match when it is struck on rough sur
face.
But for the protection afforded by the
atmosphere the continuous celestial bonn
bardment might have disastrous results,
for the meteors, though small, are numer-
GUS Many are not visible TO the naked
eye, and thousands fan during the day,
when their fire Is dmmed by the greater
glory of the sun.
These meteors finally reach the earth.
though not In their original form. The par
ticles are dissolved into vapor and the
Vapor is condensed into dust, which is ABB
sorbed, almost without anyone knowing
It, by the globe. on mountain tops, in Arc
tic regions and In African deserts a brown
dust has been found which, upon analysis,
has been believed to be of meteoric orig
In There must be a good deal of Ii ad-
ded to the world during The course Of a
few centuries. IT Is estimated that 10000 :
000 meteors annually fan into our atn0s-
pierre and If the dust Of each weighs
only a grain then each year 20,000,G01
pounds, or 10000 tons OF meteor dust is
added to the earth. and the weight of The
earth must annually increase by that
amount.
Each thirty-three years the earth passes
through that part Of the meteoric belt
where the meteors are largest and most
numerous, and then the finest meteoric
displays are seen. The last great display
was in 1866. and 50 astronomers have
scheduled the next as due IN 1899 The best
display will be when passing through the
November belt on the 18th OF the month.
Those heavenly bodies which fan to the