The Portland daily press., 1899-10-21
FALL OF METEORs.
Great Celestial Spectacle Due
About Nov. 14-I5.
The Earth WIN Encounter This Year
the stream Of Meteors THAT Made the
sky brilliant I'm 1879 and 1906
Preparations OF Astronomers 20 OBJ
serve n.
(Bs Prot. J. X. Rees OF Columbia Uni
vsrsity.)

lBy Prot. J. X. Rees OF Columbia Uni
versity.)
All parsons who watch the henvens and
gaze in edmiring wonder on the glitter
ing stars see frequently apparent runa-
way stars, dashing among their fixed fell
lows. leaving trails of light behind. and
then, usually, in a second or two disap-
psarinz completely. These stars seem to
have been shot out from previous fixed
position by rome tremendous force which
makes the watchers think OF thu action
OF great cannon, and hence the name Of
shooting stars Is given.
The astrcnomer knows that these shoot-
ing stars ara not really stars. Real stars
are giant sni distant suns shining by
their own light. They are cold, cark
bodies, which become hos and visible
when they strike the air surrounding
the earth. The velocity OF their motion
is, on the average, about twenty five
miles a te,oni, and so when thsy dash
into the earth's atmosphere the friction
Of the air produces a temperature Of
many thousand degrees. The result Is
that, as these bodies ere usually very
small, they are completely evaporated
and dissipated. Some times quite large
bodies are able to resist this tremendous
FRACTIONAL heating and then the rssidues
reach the earth. Such bodies when found
ara called meteorites. msteoric stones.
aerontes (air-stones) or uranollths
| (heaven- stones)
4
| Come consist of nearly pure iron with
nickel, others are stony and still others
are mainly stony with grains and
| globules of iren. Comparatively very
few meteors have been seen totally. Their
chemical and mineralogical ohairacsers
such that they can be Identified as me-
teors. 1t Is supposed, without any one
seeing them fall The number of shoot
ing stars visible to the naked eye is far
greater than one womb imagine who
only glanccs at the sky now and then.
A single observer can sse. on the average.
about five an hour. But such q group of
watchers can observe, ordinarily, only
those stars which shoot within two or
thIes hundred miles of their observing
station. II, therefore, the whole earth
were covered with observers enough to
see all ths heavens. 1t has been calou-
lated, by the late Prof. Newton of Yale
University, that the number visible daily
would be between fifteen millions and
twenty millions. When to this numbsr
We add those which are too faint to ba
sesn by the naked eye we reach total
| which may run up to ore hundred mil
lions. We ara there fore forced to the
conclusion that interplRnetary spaces are
quite rich in such bodies. Investigations
show that these shooting stars are of d
gregarious temperament. Millions travel
together in the same swarm or gToup.
1hey have plenty of room; the separate
bodies frequently being miles apart.
The terrestrial inhabltant is hencs
treated to a most awe-inspiring and daz-
zling display when the earth encounters
| such a group. Astronomers expect 10 sac
such an encounter next November, aroat
the 14th or n. II their calculations be
correct, watchers all over the earth may
at the time named see splendid display
of the heavens fireworks. Clouded skies
oan Ont out any view. and as the moon
will be very nearly full on Nov. is fuII
moon occurs o, Nov. III her light will
certainly obscure this faint trails of many
shooting stars.
The best time to observe is between
midnight and the sunrise twilight. We
ars then on the advancing front of the
earth and will see those meteors we eaton
up with or meet During the hours pre-
vious to midnight we see only those
shooting stars which overaake us on the
earth. Riding on the cowcatcher of a
locomotive engine In the midst of a
downpour of lain we are certain to get
wester than If we sat on the platform of
| the rear car. Tbs illustration is only
su ggestive.
The story of the November meteors is
most interesting and Instructive. The
astronomers have been able to work out
the life history Of these meteors from the
observations made. In 1899 HumboIt
saw from the Andes Mountains a grand
star shower, and in 1888 there was anoth-
or great msteoric display. Many thou.
sands fell in this course of a few horrs
Prof. Newton, of New Haven, investi-
gated the matter, looked up old records
| OF star showers, and showed that there
had been a great number OF star showers
occurring about thirty-three years apart
and coming In the fall Of the year. He
prophesied that ths next return would
be seen. Nov. 1914, 1856. The shower
came as was predicted.
Sir Robert $. Ball, of England, has de-
scrlbed his view as follows: "The night
was fine; the moon was absent. The me-
| teors were distinguished not only by their
enormous multitude, but by their in
trinsic magn dcence. l shall never forget
that night. On the memorable evening
l was engaged in my usual duty, at that
time, of observing nebulae with Lord
Rosse's great rejecting telescope at Par.
tonstown, Ireland. / was. of course,
aware that shower of ineteors hid been
predicted, but nothing that had heard
| prepared me for the splendid spectacle SO
soon to be unfolded. IL was about 10
o'clock at night when an exclamation
from an attendant, by my side. made me
look up from the telescope just in time to
see a fine meteor dash ecc..s.u the sky.
It was presently followed by another, and
then again by others In twos and tbrsss,
which showed that the prediction Of \
great shower wAs likely to be verified
I A xf.tr he - fAL.