Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1898-11-09
STARS WILL RAIN.
Two Great Showers Of Msieors Are Due
This November.

from the first meeting OF the ADVANCING
column Of the great Leonid metcors
which envelOp the earth in aefy spec.
taeles onc In every thirty three and a
quarter years, or three times In q cen.
tury. The main mass OF Theses meteors
Is due In November, 1899, but since
their array extends over a length oi
at least 100000 600 miles, they r quire
not less than three years TO pass where
their orbit intersects that OF the earth.
Accordingly astronomers are confident
that their leading flies will he streaming
In hundreds o. thousands across the point
OF Intersection when our globe arrives
there. about November 10. this yesr. The
tocsin OF science has been sounded, star
maps and directions 10 observers have
been scattered broadcast, the latest Inn
provements 10 photography have been
enlisted In the service. and the astronom-
zeal world is on the out viye for the ex-
pected encounter.
The other great shower occurs on the
night Of November 9Th. aud will be
caused by the meeting Of the earth with
the meteOrs known as Andromedes, or
Bielids, which are closely related to the
famous missing comet Of Biels, II they
are not. 10 fact. scattered debris Of that
comet itself. These msteors we're last
seen In a great shower in 1885, when a
huge ball OF blazing iron dropped out OF
the sky while it was filled with their
dazzling trains and buried itself 10 the
earth near Mazapil, in Mexico. That
meteor, or piece Of a smashed comet, Ia
now In a meteorological museum In
Europe, and the man who 6nds another
like II, after the shower Dext month, will
possess a treasure for which the scientl.
dc world will envy him.
The adventures OF the two great troops
OF meteors which are now rushing rap
idly toward the earth have been varied
and startling, and the future may have
Sill more remarkable things In store
for them and for ul. The Leonids thus
called because they appear to rsdiate
from the constellation Leo) hold, like the
Andromedes. close relation with a comet,
which is travelling 10 the same track
Every time they meet the earth they suf.
Ter violent perturberatlons.
In 1888 u particularly dense mass on.
oountered the globe, and the result was a
spectacle that carried terror broadcast
over the world, the greatest excitement
being produced on the plantations Of our
southern states, where the negro slaves
believed that the end OF the world was
upon them. while their white masters
could not give them the assurance that
their fears were not we'll founded. All
accounts agree that the universal amaze
ment on the 18th OF November, 1888, was
such as the world has very rarely expert
enced.
In 1865, when the earth next encOun-
tered the Leonid meteors, the display was
magnificent, but not so overwhelming az
In 1888. Brilliant showers were seen In
the year Immediately preceding and fol
lowing 1856, aud this fact Is a principal
reason for expecting a display this year.
whether VI shall now encounter a com
pact column Of the meteOrs or a cOmpar-
atiyey scattered mass no one can fore
tell, but that many will be seen may be
regarded as a certainty. Even the pre-
cise time when the most brilliant spec.
tacle will be presented Is not known.
The Harvard college observatory advises
watchers TO begin their vigil about No.
yember IL. and keep 1t up until the stars
fade in the morning twilight on Novem-
Der 10.
The constellation Leo, from which the
meteOrs appear to emanate, rises about
1890 o'clock. so that all the meteors seen
before midnight will appear shooting up
like skyrOckets from the northeastern
horizon. Later On the radiant point ap
prOaches the mid, heaven In the early
morning hours and the tracks OF the
meteOrs. when traced backward, will ap.
pear to meet like the ribs OF a gigantic
umbrella spread over the earth.
The AndrOmeda meteoTs, due on No
yember q, have had even a more remark
able career than that Of the Leonids,
although their history is comparatively
brief. They were never seen before
1872, although previous to that time
a veil known comet travelled in their
track. Something wonderful hap
p5ned 20 that comet fifty years 60.
Just what 1t was nobody knows-pOssi-
bly, a clash with an as~terOid-but after
the accident, whatever II may have been,
the unfortunate comet was found TO have
been broken in two. II survived the sep
a%ration, although its parts had been
flung hundreds Of thousands OF miles
asunder, and, continuing along its for
mer orbit, came back as a double comet
In 1850.
But when 1t was next due, in 1872, In.
stead Of the twin comets a dash Of me
teOrs appeared In the sky, indicating that
the comets had met with another disaster
and that the earth had encountered a
portion OF their shattered remnants. In
1885 the meteOrs appeared again, and, in
the midst OF their display. as have al
ready told, an iron mass fell from the
sky In Mexico. Now. in 1898, they are
due Onee more, and what surprises they
have In store for US nobody can tell.
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