El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-11-11
BEAUTIFUL FREE SHOWS

BEAUTIFUL FREE SHOWS
November's TWO Great Meteor
Showers
New York Tribune.
1t is within the range of possibility
that two exceptional displays OF celes-
tial fireworks will be witnessed this
month by those who keep sharp look
out. November is famous month for
meteor showers, although the ex-
hibition is not as brilliant some years
as others. In fact, one OF these hery
outbreaks which seems to pro-
coed from the constellation of Leo
come 8, only once in about thirty three
years. The other has period OF
about thirteen years, but this repre-
sents only the maximum frequency OF
the meteors from AndrOmeda. A few
are seen shooting from that region of
the skies almost every year when the
earth, in its sweep through space,
swarm.
On November II, 1888, for several
hours there was q perfect rain of me-
teors. Something like quarter OF q
million were observed at Boston. They
all started from about the same quar-
ter, and their paths radiated in all d.
rections. Part of them disappeared az
ter a short flight, and "a part OF them
| left longer trails of glory. The spec
taole was one of lifetime. This same
event was duplicated in 1866. And q
recurrence of it is now hoped for in
1899 or 1900.
The exact period is believed to be
about thirty-three and quarter years.
Consequently there is much uncertain
ty whether the chief shower will occur
next year or the year after. But the
displays of 1888 and 1866 were both pre-
ceded by an advance guard twelve
months before the main demonstration.
Hence all that may be reasonably ex-
pected this year, on the anniversary OF
the Leonid display. is premonitory
sprinkle, not fully developed shower.
The dates on which observation is
most likely to be repaid with results
are November II, ID and IA. And the
best hours for such vigils are those be-
tween midnight and dawn. Leo now
rises in the northeast at IL o'clock.
Inasmuch as there is no moon worth
mentioning at present any display
of meteors that does occur will be
more distinct this year than on some
other occasions.
The meteors whose radiant point is
In Andromeda-a little north OF the
Z6Qlbu III Gu6 early 0NCuihS SoNO
their best remem bered exhibitions In
1872 and 1885. There we're moments
during the night of November q, both
of those years, when more than one
hundred and fifty meteOrs were observ-
ed inside of sixty seconds. Thus, 1t
will be perceived, there were several
shooting stars visible at the same in
slant. The show was not continuous
and uniform, but at times the skies
xr;< =, or of
light.
| There is reason to think that the
time interval between the reappear-
ances of the Andromedes has been
shortened slightly. Early in the CEN
fury the swarm of matter to which
they belong crossed the earth's orbit
on the very last day of November.
But the showers of 1872 and 1885 oc-
CURED on the 9th. And in 1892 Pro-
lessor Young saw q quantity of meteors
that seemed to emerge from andre
media on the night of November "a. It
is barely possible, therefore, that If
there is q display in q the vicinity
of that constellation this yearit will be
visible on the latter date rather than
on the former. 1t will pay to watch
the northern heavens Immediately
after dark every clear evening this
month from the 23d to the 2Sth.
| Meteors are the wreckage of comets.
The nucleus of a comet is believed to
be merely loose aggregation OF cold,
| stony matter, moving In paths that
closely resemble ellipses in form. A
| comet comes from q point we'll out in
space-often beyond our solar system
and approaches the sun as closely as
the nearer planets. Then it describes
sharp curve, and whisks off into re-
moter regions again. 1t is only when
comparatively near the sun that it be-
comes visible; and under the influence
of solar heat it develops tail on such
occasions. But as the component mas
ses of the swarm are of various sizes,
and at unequal distances from the sun,
the influence of that body's attraction
upon them is not uniform. The ten
dency of things, therefore, is toward
disintegration and separation. And
after many visits to the central orb OF
the planetary system to which the
earth belongs comet becomes badly
demoralized.
Other forces may possibly operate to
break comet up. Biela's comet, for
instance, made a number of circuits
about the sun as single object-nOt a
solid mass like q satellite, to be sure,
but sufficiently compact assortment
of dust, pebbles and boulders to exhibit
but one nucleus. About forty years
ago however, something happened to
1t out in space, and 1t was split in two.
Then one half failed to appear, at least
as comet. The other half has been
seen so few times since that occasion
that its existence as comet is now Op-
| en- to doubt.
A marked increase in the quantity OF