The morning news., 1899-11-16
LEONIDS DID NOT APPEAR.
LAST NIGHT BROUGHT FEWER
THAN THE NIGHT BEFORE.

Camera CIub Members Again Observ-
ed From the De Soto ROOf-DurlnG
Twenty Minutes of watching Not
Single LeOnId Put in an Ap-
pearance-Chance for Anything
Like a Display Seems Very Slight
Mr.. AshmOre Gives the Possible
ExpIanatiOn-Earth May Have
Struck Where MeteOrs Are Few.
Last Night Wa@ the Last for OBJ
servatiOn by the Club.
The Leonids should have begun appear
ing at about / O'Clock this morning. The
night before the first shot from the con-
stellation at :04 but last night there had
not been single one up to 30 O'Clock.
The night was cloudless, and IL there had
been any of the Leonids those who so mar
rowly watched the heavens from the roof
of the De Soto for their appearance would
certainly have seen them. 1t now looks
very much as though there is to be moth
ing approaching a display OF the Leonids.
Mr. otis Ashmore was among the Cam
era Club members who observed he heav-
ems from the roof He thought il rather
strange that the Leonids had not begun to
put in an appearance. In answer 10
query, he sad il was quite possible that
the earth may have CHANGED to strike
course through the belt of meteors ac-
companying Tempers comet around the
sun that intercepted but comparatively Jew
OF them. He says it is quite clear that
there must be breaks in the continuity of
the stream of meteors, as astronomical
history proves that the display Of 1858 was
greater than that of 1866, he earth, there
fore, having encountered a denser agBre-
cation of the meteors on the former date.
Keen disappoin ntment was felt by Mr..
Ashmore in the failure of the night, up
to the time of his talk. to bring forth
a display. He had anticipated that last
night would be the time when the Leonids
would come in greatest numbers, and their
non-appearance impressed him with the
belief that the chances of a display are
greatly lessened. He said, however that
tonight may bring a shower of the Leon
ids, as il cannot be told with certainty
just when the phenomenon will reach It's
maximum
No doubt Is entertained by Mr.. Ashmore
that the earth is passing through the belt
of meteors That is evidenced by the
number seen the night before. He said
the members of the club observed eighteen
seen on an ordinary night. The average
for any night, Mr.. Ashmore said, is from
four to eight, so that the eighteen noted
must have been Leonids, a fact also dem
onstrated by their having uniformly start
ed from the constellation Leo, "a circum-
stance peculiar to the meteors, and from
which they derive their name.
The plate has not yet been developed
but 1t is believed the camera that Is kept
trained on the heavens had one of the Leo
nids of Tuesday night pass across it's field.
Fifteen minutes exposure is allowed the
plates, and the members of the club be-
lieve they caught one of the eighteen Le-
onids that flashed across the heavens.
The work of the camera has been ex-
cellent, and regret is felt that the Leonids
were not seen in numbers sufficient 10 ad-
NIT of good photographs of the display be-
ing taken.
Last night at about 1:15 a bright meteor
flashed out, leaving a green light In its
wake. 1t was not a Leonid, however, Mr.
Ashmore designating it a chance meteor
as it had not come from the direction of
the constellation Leo.
No observation win be held by the club
tonight. Members will doubtless keep
a lookout on their own responsibility, this
being Mr. Ashmore's intention but he
says no effort will be made to secure pho
tographs.