The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-11-04
THE NOVEMBER METEOR SHOWER.
Wonderful Display which Mny Dc
eur This Month

1 ear This Month.
| There is a chance, though not an alb"
solute certainty, that highly eXeep-
be witnessed in this country about the
middle of this month. In 1888 and
again in 1865 there were so many me-
| teors visible in the sky at once, or in
| rapid succession, that the phenomena
| was properly called SHOWER" The
| astronomers are hoping for a repetition
| of the performance this year, and if 1t
| really comes it will prove a memorable
| event. For a portion of one night it
may rain pretty steadily, and on two or
| three other evenings, if the weather
permits a much smaller number will al
most surely be seen, but enough to re-
| pay the watcher,
Meteors are caused by bits of stony
| or metallic matter coming into the
earths atmosphere from outer space
and becoming heated to incandescnce
by friction with the air. Meteoric mat
ter Is now thought to be the wreckage
of comets, and shower ensues when
these bits Of cometary material. At
other seasons of the year much less
abundant falls Of aerolites occur. And
they take their name from the particu-
lar constellation from which they appa-
rently proceed. A number are usually
seen in August every year, coming from
Perseus. Hence the astronomers call
them "Perseids." AT another time Lyra
supplies lot; and these are known as
Lyrids The great thirty-three-y
shower of November seems to ema-
nate from Leo, and for that reason its
meteors are designated "Leondes."
1t is believed that swarms of aerolites
move through space in orbits like
those of comets. Their paths are clip
teal. One part of the orbit brings
them in near the center of our solar
system for time, and then with amaz-
ing velocity they sweep out again to
great distance. Some go only far
enough to be absent four or five years,
Others, like wel-known comets, make a
much longer journey before returning.
1t takes the Leonid swarm thirty-three
and one-fCurth years to make one COM
plete trip. Hence the interval Of time
uttNten the SllOWerS,
A meteor shower results when the
earth reaches the point where it's own
orbit intersects that Of the swarm, and
when the swarm gets on the cross roads
at the same time as the earth, Owing
to a variety of causes, the stones com
posing the swarm become separated
slightly by degrees, so that few OF
them travel along beside the main
stream but hundreds of thousands of
miles away. Hence a few meteors may
enter the earths atmosphere and thus
become visible a day or two before we
reach the main throng; and a few more
may be seen a day or two after we
have gone through the thickest part
Again, the procession is 80 elongated
that it now takes more than a year to
pass given point in space. Thus the
earth has time to rass through the front
of the line go completely around the
sun in its annual journey. and find the
tail of the procession still marching
past the junction. Although the
densest part of the stream was encoun-
tered IN 1866, for instance, smaller
number was seen the year after, few
We're also observed in 1865. Hence 1t is
believed that the swarm has now
stretched out so as to require two or
that a fine display may be witnessed
next year and 1t may prove superior to
that of this year-New York Tribune.