Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-01

three or thirty-four years in the month OF
October or, latterly, November the cause
or which-a swarm OF minute bodies cir
cling round the sun In an orbit which crosses
or at any rate. passes very close to that
or the earth-is now fully established. 1t
seems hardly likely that this meteor sys-
tenn, which has been In existence for at.
least ten centuries, and which, according
10 the Astronomer Leverrier probably
dates back to the second century of our
era, should, without the occurrence of any
unusual planetary perturbation become
suddenly SO far warped from its position
that henceforward these meteors will steer
quite clear Of the earth's path. as was the
explanation OF the failure of the expected
shower In 1900. given by DR.. G. tombstone
Stoney All calculations to the move
ment OF these ordinarily invisible bodies in
voive so many assumptions that the re-
suits OF the calculation have out littlo
value. Reasoning upon broad grounds and
with no attempt at exactitude, one may
conjecture that this swarm of small bodies
which probably at the time when 1t entered
the solar system formed a fairly compact
single cluster-probabiy q comet-has been
broken UP In the course of time by the
combined action of the sun and the larger
planets into a long-drawn-out ahd exceed
fngly irregular and more or less lumpy
swarm, having parts of different densit.es,
which travel In orbits not quite even
though nearly, Identical with each other
This irregularly constituted swarm, or
stream, apparently requires three or four
years to pass the earth's orbit IT is known
to be passing this orbit at the present time.
SHOWERS occur whenever the eartn ham
pens to strike one of the denser portions of
the stream; yet even when this happens
the richer portion Of the display usually
lasts not more than two or three hours and
can be witnessed only by those observers
who happen at the time to be favorably sit
uated. This fact was eXemplified very re-
markably last year. In Europe and over the
larger portion of the United States the display
was Of quite ordinary character Prof
w. ii. Pickering reported that at Cambridge
the maximum occurred on the mo. ming of
the 10Th, when the fall was at the rate Of
sixty an hour. At the Lowe observatory,
California, Mr.. Larkin, the director, count
ed on the same morning 300 in one hour,
and similar reports came from Trinidad WI;
Tuape, Mex; Tucson Ariz., and Claremont
Cal. Something of this sort may happen
this year, though in what regions of the
earth the best Of the display viii be wit
messed cannot be predicted 1t is pretty
safe to say, however. that II will occur on
the morning of the 18th or 10Th.
Perrine's Comet
The comet is no longer visible, having
passed into the southern hemisphere ana
being besides now involved In the twilight
glow. Its path from the point in Perseus,
where 1t was discovered September /, to
the point at which it struck the horizon
of o'clock tonight, is shown on the chart
given herewith. Its greatest brillancy was
from the 9Th to the 10th of October when
1t was situated between the Northern Cross
and the Tyre. 1t could then be seen with
the naked eye. Through opera glass it
appeared a small oval nebulous spot In
the heavens, having at one end a brighter
nucleus" Through a six-inch telescope
short, broad. but very faint tail could be
made out.
Twenty years have now passed since we
have seen comet of the first order-that
of 1SS2-and inasmuch as the average fire.
quency of exceptionally fine objects Of this
class is six eight each century, we need
not be surprised at the appearance of one
of these interesting celestial visitants on
any night. Possibly, however. we shall
have to wait still eight or nine years. when
HaHeys comet is due, and is not lokely to
| disappoint us.
Algol.
A minimum of this interesting variable
star will occur at O'Clock tomorrow even
ing On the 22d there will be a minimum
at about 10 pm, and another on the 18th
at pm.
The Planets.
Mercury has been a morning star since
October 10. 1t Will be at it's greatest angu-
lar distance west from the sun, and there
fore in it's best position for observing,
the 4th of this month. Look for it in the
southeast half hour or SO before sun.
rise
Venus will be morning star until the
2Sth and after that date evening star.
The planet is. however. too close to the
sun to be visible.
Mars is a morning star in Leo, short
distance east of Regulus, rising on the first
of the month at about / am 1t is travel
ing quite rapidly eastward
Jupiter still shines brilliantly through the
evening hours in the southwest, setting on
the first of the month at about IL pm.
Saturn, farther west, sets at about 80 p. m.
Uranus, still farther west, has ceased to
be an object of interest, and Neptune, now
an evening star in the western part OF
Gemini; Is never visible to the naked eye.