The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-12-13
Wonders Of Astronomy.
Bye ARRET P. ,sERvIss.

GENTLEMAN who watches for
II ~ I November 1nctcors and was re-
5I]A wardcd by seeing four Of those
i RG7eSS1 spectacular apparitions, all up
lgGESJ pearing 10 move In different d.
reclOns among the stars. as If fleeing at
headlong speed from a common point of
danger, was astonshed on being told by
ian astronomical friend that the four me-
@teors. although they seemed to be flying
away from one another, were really NOV
Ing parallel directions, like racers running
n side by side. He remained for some time
Y obdurate in his belief that the thing had
really occurred in the way that his eyes
told him it had, but he was finally con-
WINGED of his error through the aid OF the
dia grams which are herewith presented.
AS this is a point in popular astronomy
that is frequently misunderstood. 1t seems
worth while to attempt to make 1t clear.
Every body must be aware that meteors,
although they appear off among the stars.
are really only from fifty TO seventy-nve
miles above the earth when they begin to
blaze and that they arc consumed long
before they reach the ground. Their
light arises from the heat developed by
their plunges into the atmosphere. and
the stars simply serve as a kind OF back
ground across which they are seen flying.
a Now, in all recognized showers OF me-
& teors. such as the one in November, the
neteoric bodies when they encounter the
earth's atmosphere, are moving In pa
rallel lines, likes vast flock Of Wild
ducks making for their winter home; but
we cannot see them until, on striking the
air. the friction heats them to mean
descence. when they become visible for a
brief movement, lthvlng streaks Of fire
In their tracks.
Suppose the observer Is looking toward
that direction In the sky from which tho
Z meteors are approaching. Suddenly ono
enters the atmosphere and seems to dart
OFT toward the right Immediately
another appears speeding downward.
Il This IS followed by q third. which shoots
i toward the left, and then comes fourth,
spring upward like a rocket. And so.
If the shower is an abundant one, the me-
teors continue to run In every direction
across The starry heavens. but I'LL APP
parently flying away from a common CEN
tire. That common centre Is the axis OF
the parallel-sided column In which they
nre advancing toward the earth. II a
meteor chances to come point blank TO-
2 ward the observer It will not appear to
Z. shoot across the stars and will leave no
Z streak, but will simply grow larger and
very seldom happens,
In Diagram No ! we see the four me-
teors whose flight was witnessed by tho
gentleman mentioned at the beginning Of
this article. The arrows show tho d.
rection In which tho meteors seemed to
him to he moving. In Diagram No. 2 the
place where he stood on the surface Of
the earth Is marked by the letter A, and
the parallel paths OF the meteors b. G, d,
and T., as they approached tho earth from
the direction OF the stars, are shown by
the vertical lines. On striking the upper
4 surface of the atmosphere the meteors
hurst into flame, and by the time they
had penetrated to the level Indicated by
( the letters B, G, d. and K they had been
consumed and, consequently, disappeared
@ Let US consider any one Of these me-
teors; for instance, the one marked j.
While It was going from D TO D It scsmct
to The observer al A to move In the ~
rection and TO the distance shown by tht
arrow- headed line attached to u, BE
cause OF It's great height from the grounf
he was insepsible or the approach Of thu
+ meteor, and II simply appeared TO MIN
to be moving against the background o
stars in the direction OF the arrow. rh'
i same thing is true. as the diagram shows
of the other three meteors. All seemet
IN be dying apart on the sky, although
In truth they We're continually travelling
In parallel lines toward the earth.
One little obscurity. arising from III
impossibtlity of representing the concav
OF the heavens on fiat paper. may renulr
q. word OF explanation In Diagram 2 III
h four nleteors all appear 70 be moving II
X the plane Of the paper In order to max
Y their paths accord With those shown II
S Diagram / the reader must imagine tina
NJ rne,eors B and 2 are going through III
Taper further away than the point A
while 1neteors G and u are coming M GU
OF the paper, nearer 70 me readers ey
II than RE point A. This does not In an
WAX affect the paral!elisni Of their actus
paths In spacA