Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-15
METEORS ARE DUE TONIGHT
Shooting stars VIII lie Seen In the
Sky During the Early Morning
Hours Thursday.

call me when the stars begin to fall "
was the telephone message received at the
central office every few minutes early Tues
day evening. The announcement that the
skies were to be filled with pyrotechnical dis
plays from other worlds had awakened a
great deal of interest and a large portion of
Omaha's population was determined to see
all there was to be seem But though the
heavenly fireworks were advertised they
were not pulled off according to schedule
and the big show will not be on until to-
night, or early Thursday morning.
Father Rigge of Creighton observatory,
who has been the press agent of the prom
ised shower of star dust found early in the
evening there had been a miscalcuation in
time, and that he would have to wait until
later time, so he went to bed to get sleep
enough TO carry him through tonight.
When he was seen Tuesday he talked very
entertaningly concerning the matter. He
said the shower of meteors was due every
thirty three years, the first one that much
is known about occurring in 1888. At that
time the people were frightened nearly to
death and every one looked for the end Of
the world Many people sought the open
spaces and fields and some even donned
white robes ready to be taken at once into
the celestial regions There was widespread
CONSERVATION, especially among the ignorant
classes. The next display of burning star
dust was in 1866. This time the people were
better acquainted with such matters and
knowledge had been so widely disseminated
that the phenomenon did not cause so much
fear
The explanation offered by Father Rigge
is very simple. Every thirty-three years
the earth's orbit crosses the orbit of the
constellation Leo, hence the two come In
contact like team crossing railway track
at right angles with train OF cars. The
constellation is in nebulous state and the
falling stars are said to be made up of tiny
stones or flakes, weighing no more than a
grain apiece. This stardust is whirled at
the rapid rate of twenty-five miles per sec
ond, and yet at that rate it takes three
years for the earth to pass out OF the swarm
of little stars. The particles OF falling
meteors are called Leonides, because they are
from the constellation Leo. They come in
contact with our atmosphere about seventy
miles distant and the density of ii generates
intense heat, thus making them luminous at.
once. They travel with incredible speed to-
ward the earth until they have come twenty
miles toward us, and then they become so
not they evaporate, hence none Of the
meteors ever reach the earth. During the
two other vistations of the flaming messen-
gers from another world no sound has been
heard and nothing has ever reached the
earth from the beautiful shower.
The spectacle will in all probability reach
our horizon tonight about midnight and will
be visible for some hours. Father Rigge is
taking great interest in the phenomenon
and expects to make some interesting obser-
vations here. Those who recall the former
shower say it was a wonderfully inspirine
sight and many people anticipate a rare
treat this year.