The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-11-15

favorable. Have recorded bus tun
leunids. believe the maiu swarm vii
be seen tomorrow. Thursday. murn5nE -
Probably 80 city people. tncsIsta<
u.any Watktkt residents. wrrr On the
lockout for l-oniis. The native police
men and the Advertiser carrier hns-s
amused themselves yelling ''rublsrr- a.
each other and sounding false alarms
once every thirty-thrcc years ID.
human races witnesses n mcscoric
shower. and S.,-s the phenomenon of
millions OF stars falling out of the
heavens. u vas predicted by astrono-
mers that there would pour from the
heavens the most remarkable and spec
taeular stream of shooting stars S~cn
since the century began. In Washing
ton the scientists sf the Cnitcd States
Naval Observatory made elaborate
preparations for OBSERVING the APPEAR
ancc OF the I.conids. whilr throughout
the colleges. universities and ak;ronom-
iCal UbScrvatoTt-N of the United States
and of the world thousands of men
awaited with eager interest an oppor-
tunity tn observe ;hc grandsst OF CO.
lcstial phenomena.
Preparations were made on an cxtcn-
siVe scale at the Harvard observatory.
Cambridge. Mass. for observations
during the met-oTtc shower. This will
he the second and most important year
Of the period during which the earth
passes three times through or near the
I.sonid shower. and IL the conditions
are favorable u is expected that the
observations will give results OF great
value to astronomical science
IL is only within the last fifty OF sixty
years. during which mctcoric astrono-
my has been studied. that IL has been
found that the tracks of shooting stars
seen ON certain Gates. when traced
backward. point to a particular point
OF the heavens. or that nctrorA appear
to- radiatc from n certain point among
the stars. The accompanying map
shows the position of the radiant point
OF the shooting stars. II will be no.
ticcd that these m>trors appear to ra-
date from n point which IL situated IN
the constellation " the Lon. on which
account these shooting stars haV. been
called Leonides or Leonsds.
The assertion - safe that none uho
bchcld the catsciysm of living ere uIII
fail to bear forever in mind the memory
OF the spectacle. Every year a scu
scattered fragments of IA. shattered
heavenly body ar. sen. bat IN. ap-
pcsTanec nt ia" main groups is reia-
Questions naturally present them
selves as to whst ia reality are the
lysonids. wh.r. do :h-y com. from. and
how u j. Possibl. TO predict the fall o.
shooting sisrsg Th.s. questions have
been answered ia part by calculations
and observations. and In part By vcil-
founded theories os astronotnsrs.
In the first place th. single meteor OF
Tn.tcurits which mak.s. When !t strikes
the aSmosphsr. of tho earth. the So
called shooting star ts often \ met.
tramp uf a. hrav.ns-the desarhell
fragment % some burst planet. too
small for observation with the nnesl
t.l.@rurs. that vsan.s.rs around IN spsrs
until Sc comes within a.. circle us at
traction % some larger body. shea
Eravify eaus.es BE- Co fall. G.nrrsIly ia
thr course % !ss descent through the
atmosphere Uf ths larger BODY tho me,
'sHstt" generates fu much heat that q
ts entirely consumed. bat tf iarzs
enough. part remains and strikes Ia
earth But neither the single snes~o-
nor uti~uritc can - observed cKceP,
in the brilliant fashion of Ste death.
Tn" comet. on tas contrary. ss a
creature uf tho skies more % iass r,e,r'5,
uusd ~jth. Esras5r as fts wandrrinEl
ms-y seem tD the uuaophistirated. sr
lrssiity Sc rursgcs a mos; dcfuitc cours'