Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-04
TO WATCH TIE SKIES
Astronomers Waiting for the
Leonids and Andromeds.
MAY COME THIS MONTH
SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE ABOUT
THE 18TH Al D THE 2sTH.
-
The Expected Visitors Are usually
Termed "Star Showkrs"-Formerly
the Cause of Much Awe.
MAY COME THIS MONTH

Termed "Star Showlrs"-Formerly
the Cause of Much Awe.
The Leonids and Andromeds are coming,
and all the telescopes, big and little. at
the United States naval observatory mere,
and at other headquarters Of astrological
research throughout the United States, will
be turned on the heavens in the latter part
of the month. in an endeavor to catch first
glimpse of the visitors. The Leonids and
Andromeds have been extremely regular in
their visits since 9O2 A. D., and conse-
quently their appearance can be depended
upon with reasonable certainty, but as they
call at this particular portion of the solar
system only once every thirty-three years,
they are observed carefully by every man
with telescope, and casually by those that
have not, from the time of arrival to the
moment of departure.
Those who are not troubled by a knowl-
edge of astronomy usually speak of the
Leonids and Andromeds as star showers"
and that, after ALL is probably the best
name for them. For during their visit
here every third of century it actually
rains stars. Sometimes they sprinkle down
earthward like the beginning of a gentle
rain, sometimes they drive down in straight
lines for all the world like a hard April
shower, and occasionally they move hither
and thither in the heavens like cold rain
blown about by autumnal gusts. 1t needs
no telescope to take in the beauties of the
star showers. They are visible to all the
world-a celestial fireworks exhibition to
which the admission is free.
The Leonids and Andromeds are meteors-
comet dust" they are sometimes called-of
exactly the same nature, deriving their
names from the fact that the radiant point
of one is in the constellation Leo, and OF
the other in the constellation Andromeda-
The Leonids were due several years ago,
but the display at the time was extremely
feeble, and not at all to be compared wit
the shower Of 1856. One of the best OBJ
served though by no means the most bril-
liant of the showers, occurred on the even
ing of November u, 1872. Some of the OBJ
servers at that time, counting singly, saw
10000 shooting stars in the course of two
hours. Consequently, astronomers are not
decided whether something has happened to
delay the LeonidS and make this particular
shower miss It's regular visiting period for
the first time since 9O2 A. d., or whether
during the period that has elapsed since the
last display the particles of comet dust
have not been so widely scattered through
space as no longer to merit the name of a
star shower. At any rate the Leonlds,
if they are to arrive this month. will be
seen about November 10, and the andre
meds about November Is.
Star Showers in 0lden Times.
The star showers have received rather
different reception in modern times from
that accorded when they began their regu-
lar round of third-of-a- century visits. On
record at the naval observatory are
number of quotations from various sources
on the subject of the vista tons of the star
showers, many of which are extremely IN
tereSting as showing the spirit in Which
the displays were received by the people
of various centuries. Several of the quo
tations follow: -
In the year 2S6 (of the Hegira) there
happened in Egypt earthquake on We'd
nesday, the 18th day of dab, last
ing from the middle of the night until
morning, and flaming stars struck against
one another violently while being borne
eastward and westward, northward and
southwark, and many could not bear to
look toward the heaven account of this
manifestation.
I'm the year 500 (of the Hegira) on the
night of Saturday, the last day of Muhar-
ram, stars shot hither and thither in the
heavens, eastward and westward. and flew
against one another like scattering swarm
of locusts. to the right and left people were
thrown into CONSERVATION and cried out to
God, the Most High, with confused
clamor.' -..--. .-...
These meteors. November 10, 1890, might
be compared to the blazing sheaves shot
outward from firework. The phenomenon
was grand and awful. The whole heavens
appeared as If illuminated with skyrock-
cts"
November 10, 1893, thick with streams of
rolling fire. Scarcely a place in the firma-
ment that was not filled every instant
Almost infinite number of meteors. They
fell like fakes of snow"
These quotations all refer to the visits of
the Leonids and AndrOmeds, which have
appeared since the 18th of October, 9ti2 The
old chronicles also make it very plain that
while the Ordinary people of the earth look
ed with the greatest dread and aversion on
a star shower, and held that it portended
evil and calamities and plaques without
number the followers of the Prophet the
priests and the clergy hailed the visits of
1.eonids and Andrcmeds with joy Piety
was at premium for a good while after a
star shower had visited the earth, and the
amount collected in aims increased amaz-
ing1y. From some of the old documents
it appears that the class who thus profited
by the visitation of the comet dust were
sorry that the phenomena occurred only
three times century. 1t didn't give them
enough chances.
Rainfall of Stone.
Ordinarily a star shower is not danger
Gus thing. Some of the observers haven't
thought SO. Sometimes after star shower
a single stone is found, sometimes many
About 5000 were obtained from the fall of
L'Aigle in 1903. scattered over region
about seven miles long and of somewhat
less breadth. Luckily. most Of the stones
were very small. and while aching heads
we're the rule in that vicinity for some time
the fatalities were not numerous
A like number of meteoric stones was OBJ
tanned from the fall of Knahina in June
1866. This shower was held by the inhab-
itants to have been in the nature of a visi-
tation for their sins, and for some time
after that every man who had knot on
his head was not considered to possess di-
vine grace. At Pultusk, in 1868 a still
larger number of stones was collected,
scattered over a larger space.
From a shower in Emmett county, Iowa
in 1873 similarly large humber has been
obtained The inha bitants of that section
of Iowa at that time didn't consider the
shower as in the nature, of visitation
They promptly built staf-shower cellars,
something like the cyclone cellars of to-
day, and went on about their business.
Shaken Off by Comets.
The star showers ofawhich a record has
been kept are all CLOSELY connected with
the comets from whichidhey have been
shaken off at one tinesor another. and
usually follow the orbit of the parent body
1t has been estimated that the meteors
seen in the most recent astar shower OBJ
served here were travelling through the air
at the rate of about forty-four miles a sec
ond. Astronomers hope that the display
this year will be brilliant, in order that the
modern adiunctS of "a astronomical 1uork