The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-23

IS IN Perseus). He showed the wonder
ful fact that bright comet was NOV
Ing in the same path as the August
mefeors. A little later Professor OPP
polzer. of Germany published his orbit.
or Iempel5s comet of 1866. Then ii was
seen that a remarkable coincidence ex-
listed between The orbits of the NoxeIn-
Der meteors and Temples 1856 comet
the orbits were practically IDENTICAL =
Several years later the meteOric show
err radiating from Andromeda was
shown to be following IN the path Of
Biela's comet Later yet the April me-
teors We're found to be associated with
a. comet. Four such remarkable cases
seem TO prove a physical connection
between comets and meteors. Many
astronomers hold that these meteor
sSyarms are simply the result of comets
going to pieces under the action of the
sun. during their successive returns to-
perihelion. The earthts atmosphere
Bah remarks, acts in burning up the
cometary> pieces, like a screen in pro-
tectinG us from bombardment If the
air We're less dense and thinner, many
more meteoIs might get through to the
earth. No meteorites. have come to us
from any of the great showers.
Preparation By Astronomers.
Preparations are being made in many
of the observatories of the world to OBJ
serve the expected grand display. Some
astronomers viii try to photograph the
group before we reach the crossroads.
The sunlight striking the group may
illuminate the bunch sufficiently to be
seen by the Photographic eye before
the earth's atmosphere converts the
group into nlyTiads of veritable sky
rockets.
Observers will watch the heavens and
viii trace, on prepared maps of the
stars, the track of any we'll observed
meteor. Many of these tracks being
obtained, the radiant point can be de-
termined. This is essential for a cal
culation of the orbit.
DR.. Elkins of Yale university has.
with the financial aid of the National
Academy of Sciences, placed several
cameras on an axis parallel to the
earth's axis. He will aim the various
cameras at different points of the sky
near the constellation of Leo, on the
night the shower is expected, and by
the aid of clock work the cameras will
When the shower begins, exposures " i'll
be made. giving, it is hoped, developed
plates which will show numerous stars
crossed by meteor trails. A second OBJ
serving station several miles away viii
also take photographs. 1t is expected
that both ebServatQfieS viii get pic
lures of the same meteor trail. The
measurements of the plates, referring
the trails to the known stars on the
plates, will determine the elevations of
the meteors as seen from two nlaces a
known distance apart. This will pro-
vide the data for calculating the height
in miles. Measurements The plat es
will also furnish the most accurate
determination of the radiant point.
All who wish to see wonderful sight
should be ON the watch. 1t might be
well for those desiring to see the dis
play to arrange with the telegraph or
telephone companies, or with a night
to waken them in case the
shower appears.
AS has been indicated, there are sew
eral elements of uncertainty about the
time of the coming of the sohwer 1t
may come a little earlier or later than
Nov. 14-15, and some unknown effect
Of the planetary pulls may so disturb
the motion Of the swarm that it may
decline to put it an appearance at all
this year. If so, the astronomer is
quite certain that he will see the dis
play in the last year of the present
century-Noveanber, 1900. When one
sees the grand shower the words of the
Psalmsit will come to mind:
1.-The heavens declare the glory of
God, and the armament showeth his
handiwork'