The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-10-21
GREAT SPECTACLE
OF the Heavens on Fire on the
Night OF November ID.
FALLING OF THE LfONIDS
To Earth as Dazzling GIobes ofsrulti-
colorsd Flame This Celestial
ryrotechnieai E1hlbiIIbn onIs
Comes Around once IN Gencrh-
tlOa-An Enchanting Display Pro
missed Next Month.

sion-An Enchanting Display Pro
missed Next Month.
New. York journal: one OF TIE
grandest spectacles ever afforded by
the heavens. one OF the grandest nat
ural spsctacles Of all history, win be
Witnessed on the night OF the l4th Of
November next.
This spectacle is the great fall Of me-
teorites known as the Leonids. II oc-
ours only once in thiFty-three years
and It's next APPEARANCE viii be on the
day mentioned. It win be vislblesfron
nearly the whole surface Of the globe
Two thousand million miles Of mete-
ors will then fash past the earth.
The meteorites win touch the atmos-
phere of the earth and became ignited
by the rapldlty of their flight. Count
| less mlIllona of them win fan. and they
viii appear red. white, orange, green
and ali the coiors Of the rainbow. The
fact that they ignite and dissolve on
contact with the atmosphere Is all that
saves the earth from destruction by
them.
In Washington the scientists at the
United States naval observatory are
making the most elaborate prepara-
lions for observing the coming appear
ance OF the Leonlds. Harvard UnlyeF-
sity is preparing to spread broadcast
throughout the couAtry tabular sheets,
which bear directions for individual
observation and record. The colleges,
universities and astronomical observa-
tories OF the United States and Of tbs
whole civilized world are making ready
for the I.eaulds and are eagerly await
ing the night of the 18th of November
1t has been only within this century
that astronomers have discovered the
cause of the great November msteorlc
showers; nor was It until Tempel found
that the Leonids are the fragments Of
former comet that astronomers vera
assured of their periodIcity. Now. how
ever, predictions concerning thu time
when they will revisit the earth can b.
ventured with a great degree of e&-
actltude.
In the hrst place the single meteor
or metecrlte which makes when It
strikes the earth's atmosphere the So
called shooting star is in general a
mere tramp of the heavens. It is
detached fragment of some shattered
planet, and it wanders more or less at
random through space until 1t comes
within the circle Of attraction Of some
larger body when gravity causes 1t to
fan. In the course OF its descent
through the atmosphere the meteorlte
generates 50 much heat that.it is en-
tIrely consumed; the meteor, being
larger, continues on and strikes the
earth. Occasionally the heat generated
By the meteor is SO great that 1t bursts
before coming In contact with any
solid substance. IN such a case 1t Is
termed a fire ball. But neither the sim
gle tneteoFlte nor the meteor can be
observed by the telescope or by the
naked eye except at the brilliant mo-
ment OF Its death.
But the comet Is creature Of the
skies more to be reckoned with. Err
ratio as its wanderlnEs may seem to
the unlearned, in reality 1t pursues a
definite course among the more regu-
lar orbits Of the stars. The length o.
the orbit which 1t travels varies from
the comparatively small distance of n
few hundred millions OF miles to one
which reaches into the thousands of
billions. The time which different COM
cts take in completing their orbits va
ries from three and half to hum
dred thousand years. The precIseness
of astronomical knowledge Is such that
the exact rate per second OF the move
ment of these bodies can be determined.
and the time at which they Will arrive
at any given point of their orbits cali
be predicted to the second.
The LeonIds are the fragments Of
former comet. To-day they are follow
by-gone nEes. This wandering swarm
of particles travelling In the outer dark
ness Of space Is known as Temples
comet. in honor OF the celebrated as
tronomer Tempel. who first worked out
the orbit of the Leonids. Another name
that has been given 1t Is Comet one.
1885," which name signifies that 1t was
the first comet discovered in the year
1866.
Reckoned by the figures OF the henv-
ems the Leonids are but ihfants. Ac-
cording TO Professor Simon Newcomb.
Temples comet has been dead only
thlrty-three hundred years. The cause
OF the explosion was the intense heat
generated By the terrific rate at which
the comet revolved as It tore through
space The sight, as the great tlefy
body burst into million molten frag-
mcnts, must hive been grand and aw-
full beyond the powers Of human COM
prehenSlan,
But, for tho fragments Of the burning
body there could be no rest. The lnvis-
lble but relentless forces which drew
the larger body through countless ages
along a certain path were at work also
among the shattered flying particles.
They fell into line. The inrgrr frng-
ments forged TO the front, and the
smaller particles fell in behind for
million miles and more. The amending
Journey. interrupted for while. was
taken up again along the old path.
The course OF Temples comet, and OF
Its subsequent fragments, completely
enClrcles the orbit OF the earth. touch
inR il Mt one place only on Its outer
edge, Once only In thirty-threc years
does Temples comet complete Its orbit.
MI n,,ce only do the fragments OF the