Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-11-15
Watch for the
LtneidS Tonight

Carrot p. Serviss in an article writ
ten for the Scientific American, says of
the November Lenods
The expected return of the main
body of the November meteors dwarfs
every other astronomical event this
fall. The splendor of their display, in
1883, made SO deep an impression that
they have ever since occupied place
apart in the popular Imagination as the
most gorgeous and startling of all &C.
lestial pageants. The fact that three
of their periods measure just the span
of century tends to add To their repu-
tation as spectacle. Although their
returns are separated by space of
thirty-three years and a fraction yet
they may be seen three times in the
course of mans life. One who saw
them as a child, in 1893, might have
regarded their fiery menace with the
cooler judgment of a middle-aged man
In 1866. and, this year, may behold
again the scene that marked the START
and the turning post of his life with in
effaceable memories Of wonders in the
heavens.
But while everybody hopes for a
brilliant spectacle on this occasion,
there are reasons for anticipating a
possible disappointment In 1866 the
display. although imposing. was by no
means as wonderful as II had been In
1883. The fact that the meteois were
almost as abundant in 1867 as in 1866
showed that they were being scattered
along their path. Later investigations
Indicate this scattering of the meteors
has probably continued ever. since.
The planet Jupiter, the great perturber
OF the solar system. has had his hand
upon them. They are apparently ira
yelling In several shoals. or parallel
streams, and 1t may be that when the
earth crosses their line of march It will
fail to pass through any very dense
column of the wanderers.
Yet, at the worst, IL is certain there
will be meteoric Shower There
may be only hundred, or few hun
dred, visible in an hour, or there may
be many thousands. One unfortunate
circumstance will be the presence of q
strong moonlight. which will suffice to
conceal many small meteors and to
brilliance. The maximum of the dis
play is generally expected soon after
midnight on the morning of November
16, and at that time the moon will be
within twenty-eight hours of the full
phase. At IL o'clock a. m, November
IS, the moon will be in the constella-
ton Aries, about two hours west of
the meridian, while the radiant point
lSNf he .nts In, n mill lA al.
two hours from its rising point In the
northeast
While the best attainable informa-
ton points TO the first hour of the
morning of November 16 as the time
| when the meteors will be most numer-
| Gus. yet the data are so uncertain that
all observers are advised to be on the
watch forty-eight hours earlier. Be.
gin say at midnight on the 18th, and
watch until dawn. Resume watching
on the following night and so on until
the morning Of the 18th. Every watch
er for the November meteors on this
occasion can have the satisfaction of
knowing that his, or her. vigil is being
shared, all over the civilized world, by
thousands of the brightest spirits. which
now inhabit the earth. The solution
of the mystery of the November me-
teors will stand, in the perspective OF
a thousand years, high among the
achievements of man.
The watch for the meteors will call
many unaccustomed eyes to the starry
heavens, and luckily the consultations
on view include several of the finest
Like the meteors, however, the stars
suffer from the effulgence of the moon
At midnight in the middle of Novem.
Der the eastern half of the armament
Is especially beautiful