The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-11-11
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Besides tho November shower already
mentioned. there are several other show
ers, far less brilliant. but equally pune
tual IN their return. II has been shown
by the most careful and elaborate caicu-
Iations that the orbits OF number OF
these showers coincide In all particulars
with the orbits OF certain well-known
comets. Now Il would be the widest kind
OF improbability to suppose that. out OF
all the infinite number OF orbits which
a shower OF shooting stars might pursue.
u should actually be found to follow the
orbit Of some comet. uniess--and here In
the point OF the argument--unless there
were a physical connection between the
shower and the comet: ana when not
only one such coincidence. hut several
are found we are forced to the conclu-
sion that there must be some connection
between periodic displays of mcteorlc
showers and comets
A. ~ purposeiy TO confirm this belief,
Nature was already manfesting another
act OF courtesy. In 1875 a comet known as
Rieia's comet was actually seen 20 d.
vide into two parts. In 1889 II again APP
pearcd double. but has never since been
seen The opinion was inevitable that
the comet must have disintegrated to
such an extent as to become Invisible;
but. as its orbit crosses that Of the earth,
IL was suspected that instead OF seems
the comet We should az the proper time
witness n meteorio shower. That sus-
ptcion was confirmed. Scarcely had the
sun set In western Europe on November
y, is72 when IL became evident that
RleIa's comet was shedding over US the
pulverised products of It's disintegratlon.
The meteors came In voileys from the
foot OF the Chained Lady (Androniedap.
and their numbers at times hafhed the
attempt to keep a reckoning The dis
play was repeated in iSSS. and Il Is
thought that third division Of the
comet has been discovered.
nv such means astronomers have be-
come CONVINCED that shooting stars are
tho dlsintegrated debris OF comets small
particles IN enormous "swarns or
CLOUDS" which. circulating about the
sun In orbits which interssct the earth ;.
strike the earth's atmosphere ard by
friction are burned up. thus becoming Wis
ihie 10 us.
We araipariiy think 81 she atmosphere
as 4 very yielding substance, and SO il IL
when small velecities are concerned but
the bscycltst travelling fifteen 20 e;shtecn
miles per hour fnds the resistance OF the
air A very serious obstacle; and when we
have learned that the velocity OF nae
,sors Is ordinarily from twenty 70 thirty
Males a second. II Is easy e show from
the known properties OF matter tnAk tt'e
heat developed by friction even IA ihc
upper portions % the atmosphere Is sur
0elen, 10 burn up completely any small
body. such as meteor.
II "a thought that the particles whose
f1.sion In our atmosphere produces the
luminous shower are mere pallets no
larger than grains Of corn. We are edec-
tuailv shielded from them, however. BY
cnr air. which by the heat developed by
the great velocity of the pellieies burns
them VI while they are yet many miles
above the earth's surface.
some idea % the s.ze OF these swarnas
may be obtained from the fact that tns
earth. travelling at the rate OF ninsssen