The times., 1899-10-22

night of November IA are known as the
LeOnids. from the fact that they appear to
fall from the constellation Leo.
The meteorites upon coming in contact
with the atmosphere that surrounds the
earth, become ignited from the friction of
their flight and countless millions of them
will fash red white, orange and green.
The earth, in its revolution around the
sun, passes through a maze of meteors each
fall, but once in every thirty three years
the Leonids. in their eiliptical flight
through the heavens touch the earth's orbit
near the point which the earth viii reach
On November IA next. 1t is said that some
astronomers believe that the cause of the
LeOnids has been discovered, and that it is
believed that they are fragments of a comet
which was wrecked in space three thousand
three hundred years ago. An expert opin-
ion is that the comet exploded because Of
the intense heat generated by itss unduly
speedy passage through space. 1t is also
said that it was Temple an astronomer
who put forth the claim that the Leonids
are fragments of an exploded comet
A reporter for The Times talked with
Prof. A. \. Skinner, an astronomer. who
has been connected with the Naval OBJ
servatory for thirty years, concerning the
matter. He said that there are many
theories concerning the nature and mat
ter Of comets meteOrs, and meteOrites
but no one of these theories Is wholly sat
isfactory The exhibitions Of meteorites
or shooting stars, have excited great in
terest among astronomers. Their Rttenr
ton was first turned seriouslystoWard the
subject by the great meteoric shower Of
November 10 1893. On that night and
till daylight Of the morning OF November
A. the sky being serene and cloudless the
whole heavens we're lighted by magnif-
cent display Of celestial fireworks. At
times the air was filled with streaks of
light occasioned by fiery PARTICLES darttng
down so swiftly as to leave their impress
sion Of light on the eye, as OF a match
ignited and flashed before the face, and
drifting to the northwest like flakes Of
( snow driven by the wind; while at short
intervals, balls of fire, varying in size
from minute points TO bodies apparently
as large as Jupiter or Venus, and in
few instances as large as the full moon,
( descended more slowly along the arch OF
the sky, often leaving after them long
trains Of light, which were in some cases
vaTiegated with different pTismatic colors.
Their Origin In Leo.
On tracing back the lines of direction in
which the meteors moved. it was found
J
same point. which was situated near one OF
/ the stars in the constellation Leo, named
! Gamma Leonis; hence these particular
meteors are called Leonids, though the an
nual November shower has appeared to
/ radate from about the same part Of the
heavens This great shower OF 1888 per-
vaded nearly the whole Of North America,
4 having appeared in almost equal splendor
/ from the British possessions on the north
/ TO the West India Islands and Mexico on
the south. Throughout this immense re
giOn it is said that the duration was nearly
the same. The meteors began TO attract
attention by their unusual frequency and
/ brilliancy from to Y o'clock in the even
ing; were most striking in their appear
ance from to i o'clock, arrived at their
maximum about o'clock and continued
( until rendered invisible by the light of the
sun.
Soon after this occurrence it was ascer-
tanned that q meteOric shower OF con-
siderable bTilliaHcy had appeared in 1893
and what was more remarkable at the
same time Of the year. 1t soon appeared
from accounts that were received in the
United states from various parts Of the
world that similar phenomenon had oc-
CURED in the falls OF 1890 1881 and 1892
radiantly brilliant as that on November
- and IA. 1898. II was evident from these
observations that the fiery showers were
independent of the casual changes Of the
atmosphere for. having periodical return,
II was without doubt to be referred TO
astronomical causes, and its recurrence at
a certain definite period Vi the year plainly
indicated some relation to the revolution
OF the earth around the sun
Ii is said to be an established fact that
the periodical meteors of November have
their origin beyond the atmosphere de-
scending to the earth when they come
within its attractive influence: that this
meteoric body has an independent exist
ence as a member of the solar system its
periodic time being either year or a half
year so that for number of years in sue
cession the two bodies meet near the same
part Of the earth's orbit.
Move with Great velocity.
It is said to be also established that the
meteors consist of light combustible mat
ter that they move with great yelocities
amounting in some instances 10 not less
than that Of the earth in its orbit, or, in
other words, nineteen miles a second. OF
68 .00O miles an hour; that some Of them
are bodies of large size, sometimes nearly
or quite a mile in diameter; that when
they enter the atmosphere of The earth
they rapidly and powerfully condense the
air before them, and thus elicit the heat
which sets them on fire as a spark is
elected in an air match, by being sudden
ly condensed by means OF a piston and
cylinder and that they are burned up al
a considerable height above the earth
sometimes not more than thirty miles
away.
| 1t was once believed that these meteori