The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-11-01

Scientists all over the world are max
ipg elaborate preparations fos observing
the appearance Of the Lsonids. This
century has been the 6rst that astrono-
mers have discovered the cause OF the
great November meteoric shower 1t
was Tempel who found that the Lson-
ids are fragments of former comet.
Reckoned by the figures of the beav-
ems the Lsonids are bat infants.
According TO Prof Simon Newcomo
Temples comet has been dead Only
thi.sy-three hundred years The cause
Of the explosion was the beat generated
by the rate at which the comet Tevolved
rss-it~sore through space.
TIE sight, as the great fiery body
burs: into million pol'en fragments,
must have been grand aud awful beyond
the powers of human comprehension.
But for the fragments of the burn
ing body there could be 90 rest. Tbs
visible bat relentless forces which Dire"
the larger body through countless ages
sioug certain path we're at work also
among the shattered flying PARTICLES.
They fell io:o lioe. The fragments
forged to the front and the smaller
particles fell in behind for million
miles aud more. The unendiDg jour
rey. interrupted for while. was taken
% again along toe old path
The course Of Tempel's comet. and
of It's subsequent fragments. completely
encircles the osbi, Of the earth. touch
ing it a. ore place oaly on its outer
edge. Once ooly in thirty three years
. does Tempel's comet complete is orbit,
aud once oniy do the fragment of.the
dead comet. myriads IN number, trail
across the orbit Of the earth Wbeo
this does happen, however, milions of
these particles are drawn from
their orbit and fall into the atmosphere
OF the earth with 80 effect which
dazzles the spectators
The single neseo; or meteorise that
makes when it strikes the earth's atmos
phere the so called shooting star is a
mere tramp of the heavens. It is a
detached fragment of some shattered
plapet, and it wap1ers more or less at
random through space until 1t comes
within the circle OF attraction of some
larger body. when gravity causes it to
fall. In the course of it's descent
through the atmosphere the meteorite
generates so mush hea. that it IS entire.
II consumed; the meteor. being larger,
continues on sad strikes the earth
Occasionally the heat generated by
the meteor is SO great it bursts before
eoniog 10 cousac: vito auy solid sub-
stance. 10 such case it is termed a
ase-pall. But neither the siugle
meteorite nor the meteor can be observ
ed by the telescope or by the naked eye
except at the brilliant moment of its
death.
But she comet is creature of the
skies more to be reckoned With
Errasic as i;s wandering may seem to
the unlearned, iu reality its pursues
definite course among the more regular
orbits of the stars. The length OF the
orbit which it travels varies
from the comparatively small distance
OF few hundred millions to one that
reaches into the thousands of billions.
Tie time which different comets take 10
completing their orbits various from
three ADD half to hundred thousand
years The preoiseness Of assroooni
cal knowledge is such that the exact
rate per second of the movement Of
these bodies can be determined and the
time at which they will arrive at any
given point of their orbits CAP be pre-
dicsed to the second.
Regarding toe approaching aesorc
display Prof William A HarkDess,
wbo is 10 charge of the astronomical
department of the United States Gov
ernment Naval Observatory, said
Eve ere unable to predict the exac.
G0ur sc EQIc0 tue NCSeu oeI OS.eut ~
showers will begin. From the best
present estimates i: may be expected
that tie showers will reach a maximum
a. a. 90. on the morning CT toe l3:h
of November They will probably
begin three or fou- hours earlier than
tris to fall in small bu,sts They will
continue .hroagbou. the uoroiug OF toe
18th of November sad Will De more or
less observable during the evenings and
mornings 0; the l5:h, 16.h aad ll;b of
November, although 90 eaca succeed
ing dag tee oun5er o. neteors obser7-
able will dinloisn.
..These meteers and ne:eoritea vary
10 weight from fev grains to many
pounds. They strike esTth's ssmos-
phere at height OF 4 miles sDd beglo
10 burn, being entirely consumed when
.aey are at height of 50 miles.
..Tbe phenomenon Of great metez
o7i. shower is generally perfectly noise