The daily Republican., 1902-11-08
SHOWER OF METE0RS IS FIXED
FOR NEXT WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

At the beginning of November
we had the advance guard OF the
beautiful winter consultations we Il
up in the evening sky. Later 10
the month We may look for six dis
tinct meteor showers, according to
the authority of careful astronomi.
cal observers. This ought to be
sufficient to give zest to the study Of
the sky to the most languid of ANA.
tcurs. The best known of these
showers is, of course, the famous
Leonds, which occur 10 greater or
less numbers about November II
to IA of each year. A few times
each century they appear in such
numbers a 5 to produce the magnti.
cent spectacle OF a heaven ablaze
with falling stars. In 1899 and 90
this display was eagerly watched
for, but with Disappointing result.
1t must be distinctly remembered,
however, that come OF these mete-
ors fall every year, aud the watcher
may be we'll rewarded at any time.
Something over thousand years
ago this immense body of distinct
hut associated particles wandered
into the solar system from the vast
depths OF outer space and, falling
under the influence of the great plan.
ct Uranus, had their momentum so
checked that they were unable to
escape from the gravlative powers
Of the sun and will circle about that
body until the end OF time or until
the solar system has returned to
the nebuIa from which it came.
All the time these particles are
flying on their passage around the
sun, making their endless journey Of
1000, 900 900 miles aud back again
10 space of about thlrty-three
years. Once ayear we pass through
this swarm like bird skimmipg a.
cross stream. The stream flows
on perpetuaIly. We circle around
and pass it once year. On these
oCc aslons we catch few of the bits
OF matter which are crossing direct.
ly in our path, while the rest con.
tlnue their journey. II the orbit OF
the meteor swarm was at verv
slightly different angle it would not
be encountered by the earth aud
consequently would have remained
forever unknown to US.
How great is the chance that any
g;ven chain Of meteors circlng
around the sun will cross the orbit
of the earth and so give notice of
their existence? TO give answer it
must be remembered that these in.
trusIve bodies come INTO space from
every direction and that the earth
describes a circle having a diameter
Of in round figures, $4,000, 900
miles, and moving upon an invariable
plane. Into an imaginary sphere Of
this diameter, then, plunses the
meteor having its perheion within
the earth s orbit How remote the
chance that it will cross slender
definite line only 5000 miles across
as il makcs its plunge into the
nelghborhoOd of the sun! The line is
more slender than an inch ropa sur.
rounding globe third of a mile
in diameter. Yet remote as the
chance appears, not less than fifty
radiant points have been determined
where these steady flowing meteor
streams are annually encountered.
The total number must be in con-
ceivably vast.
Some Of the comets which visit the
sun have orbits which require that
they occupy $4,000 years falling
downward toward the sun, and what
applies to comets applies equally to
mcteors. Yet in the so, 900 years
that they are falling steadily down SO
little is the lateral movement due to
original impulse that they pass bare
ly outside the atmosphere of the sun;
or, in other words this movement was
not greater than ten miles year.
The inference must be that many of
these wanderers Of the sky must have
been on their travels for not only
millions, but thousands of millions Of
years! Il saw a meteor just now,
quietly remarked a denizen Of the
earth as the journey Of a thousand
million years is finished forever.
Quite as interesting and far more
reliable than the Leonlds are the