The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-10
SHOOTING STARS DUE.
LEADING ASTRONOMERS EXPECT
THE LEoNID SWARM THIS WEEK.


ty-fOur Years AgO-Their Period
of Frequency Hitherto Has Been
Thirty-three TO Thirty-fOur Years.
shooting stars obey Regular Laws
and the LeOnids Travel in an Ell
lipse Some 1.S00, 100000 Miles
Long-Tbe Earth's Orbit Crosses
This Meteoric Path Three Times
Every Century-Watch for IA Dis
play of starry Fireworks About
Nov. IL.
Washington, Nov. s.-Will the great
Leonid swarm, expected last year and
the year before come this year? For
two years past all devotees of astron-
omy. professional and amateur, have
had their hopes followed by disap-
pointment. as they watched during the
nights of Nov. 13. IA and IS for the
coming of the most famous shower of
shooting stars known to the science.
Will this year witness another and
final disappointment? Certain astron-
omers believe not; they think that the
Leonids will appear this month in all
their original splendor.
All observing people have seen shoot
ing stars, but not till within a few
decades was it known that every shoot
ing star followed the laws that govern
all heavenly bodies; pursuing each
its appointed path, so that, If we had
complete knowledge of them, the
flash of each one, or at least of every
considerable group of them, might be
as certainly predicted as the appear
ance of the planets.
OF all the shooting stars, the Leon
ids, as the November swarm is call
ed. are by all odds the most striking
TO the eye. the most numerous, have
filled the largest place in history, and,
1t is believed, offer the astronomer the
most fruitful field for research. A few
of the swarm were seen on Nov. Ia,
1897 The swarm was then looked for
on the night of Nov IA, $685. and few
days before and after. and at that time
about 500 were noted. Nov A. 1899,
the astronomers again awaited their
coming, armed with the latest photo
graphic weapons of our Photographic
age. From 100 to 200 were recorded.
Last year again, though with dimin-
ished hope, the watchers of the sky
made ready, but again there were no
substantial results. Something over
hundred were noted altogether in
northern ATTITUDES, principally at Yale
and Harvard. Prof. w. H. Pickering
of the Harvard Observatory, favored
with clear sky at the station which
he was then maintaining at jamaica,
West Indies, saw over a hundred on
each of the two nights on which he
observed them. But this was nothing
to the glorious records of the swarm
in the past. In the ninth century the
Arabs recorded its appearance in their
annals as rain of stars" The Chi
nese have it in their astronomical
records as early as 913 and again in
1902, the last time by thousands"
with two of the meteors as large as
quart measures" From that time
to this they have been noted with fair
regularity every SO years or so-though
with gaps here and there-and always
in terms that bespoke a sight of splen-
dor and sublimity.
The last first class shower in this
country was on Nov. IA, 1888, though
on Nov. 10. 1882 there was a consid-
cradle display in Europe On Nov. IA,
1866, they appeared again. the largest
display coming in November, 1867, how
ever, when the astronomers and news
papers of the time write of them as a
wonderful and glorious phenomenon
But the year for their next recurrence
has been variously fixed by astron-
omers depending on the year assigned
as the last of a small group of years
Referring to the last appearance, 1866
has been chosen by some as a starting
point; and period of 80 years between,
the swarms would bring them back in
1899. The year 1867 appears, however
from contemporary accounts, to have
produced the best display A S3-year
period would therefore bring them
back in 1900. But, on the other hand, it
has been shown that the period of the
swarm has been lengthening and must
now be close to "a years-a calculation
which would assign the present month
as the proper time of their reappear-
ance.
Prof. w. II. Pickering of the Har-
ward Observatory claims that the es-
innate of "a years. reckoning from 1867,
is sustained by the best data. His pres
ent statement is as follows:
Computing from 9O2. the first GER
tain date, and emitting for convenience
all mid-century appearances, they had
a period of 1874 years, appearing in
1902, 1l01, 1902 1902. 1902, 1902 and 1902.
change seems to have come in the
100 years, later, they appeared not
every S3 years. but every "a years.
Beginning from 1888" Prof. Picker
ing continues, "the last year of an I'M
questioned maximum, we get 1867 as
the next appearance in considerable
numbers, and the accounts of the last
appearance of the swarm assign 1867
as the last year, though 1866 had a
considerable display. Continuing the
computation, then, 1901 would be the
end of the next 34-year period.
"a hope of seeing the shower. sup
posing the perturbation is as outlined
above lies in the probable shape of the
swarm. The meteors are strewed along
the orbit for millions OF miles, long
enough at least so that the earth may
make two or thre revolutions around
it's own orbit before getting clear of
the swarm. 1t is not supposed that the
meteors which are small dark bodies,
are distributed in space in a cylinder
shaped figure, but more like strap,
and this strap is wavy or zigzag in
outline, each wave being the record OF
"A perturbation due to the passing Of
one or more of the planets near the
swarm. The somewhat remote chance
of the earth intercepting a crest OF
one Of these waves is to be regarded as
one Of the hopes of the astronomer.
THE Leonid swarm is. nevertheless,
well worth watching, for, even If not
as numerous as on its former appear
ances. For one thing, they are among
the brightest of meteors and offer the
best probable chance of securing a
spectrum leading to a knowledge OF
their constitution. They are moving
in a contrary direction TO the motion
of the earth in its orbit, and. when
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