The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-08-13
BRILLIANTSHOW
OF SHOOTING
STARS
Much Attention Attracted
Last Night by Display
in the Heavens.

There was a magnificent display of
shooting stars last night, the dark blue
OF the heavens being lighted with
hundreds of the flaming aerolites for
several hours. Many of the shooting
stars were of a large and brilliant de-
scription, their flying courses being
marked on the celestial background
with a wide and luminous trail, which
continued after the aerolite itself dis
appeared. The shooting stars all pur-
sued a similar course in the heavens,
although some of them exhibited the
eccentric movement characteristic of
the small stars. They came from a
spot in the heavens about 40 degrees
northeast ascension. and the course
pursued was almost due south, al
though many of them detected a little
toward the west.
AT times during the exhibition the
shooting stars would follow each other
at seemingly regular intervals, as
though some Titanic exhibition of stella
pyrotechnics was e~ndeavoring to give
signals. At other times the serene
beauty of the heavens showed forth
only the familiar consultations, then a
blade of light would flash across the
sky, leaving q wide and blush or
greenish trail, and shortly would fol-
low several flashes of lesser degree.
At times, two of the flaming streaks
would be in the line of vision at one
time.
Persons living in elevated situations
with an unobstructed view Of the heav-
ems to the east and south a their at
tention called to the wonderful exhibit
ton early in the evening by the UNI
usual brilliancy and magnitude of the
falling stars. The first to be observed
flashed across the eastern Sky shortly
after s o'clock. From that hour until
II the exhibition continued. Between
s and 9 o'clock the number ito fall was
inconsiderable, but after 8 o'clock the
number and frequency steadily in
creased until 10 o'clock, when h mag
nitude of the falling asteroids increased
remarkably, n the pathway of the
flying stars was marked in almost
every instance by a broad trail of
either blue or green light.
On Clinton Hill the sight of the falling
stars was unobstructed and beautiful.
Shortly before 10 o'clock a noticeable trace
OF ozone in the air affected the residents
and It's astringent qualities caused an cpl
demic of coughing which affected those
who were watching the shooting stars and
even others who were indoors unaware of
the heavenly display. Toward midnight
the stars began to decrease In number and
shortly after that hour those that APP
peared were almost directly overhead or a
little to the west of the meridian line.
November meteorS or aerolites are al
most as certain to appear as the known
phases of the moon. Seven years ago as
tronomers predicted a great fall of stars.
Professor Newton, of Yale, having de-
ermine that the orbit of great displays
of 1893 and 1888 had a period approximating
thirty-three and one-thlrd years. He de-
clared the shooting stars would reappear
In 1866 and they did, although the people
of America saw but the outer fringe Of the
exhibit, the great display being in Europe.
After this apparent verification of the
period of display great preparations were
made in 1S99-1900 to measure and photo
graph the display, but It failed to put in
an appearance, and astronomers assigned
various causes for the mysterious disap-
pearance.
Aerolites are believed to be by most
scientists the disintegrated atoms of
asteroids, meteors or comets. They have
n regular and well-def1ned orbit, and when
the earth enters that orbit the shooting
stars fall. The blaze accompanying the
falling star Is due to the aerolites com
bustion from heat by friction with the
earth's atmosphere. Astronomers say that
even q brilliant aerolite which flashes 20
degrees across the line of sight and leave
behind 1t a trail of fire will weigh less
IN ounce. They are entirely con-
sumed by the heat generated in striking
the atmosphere which surrounds the earth.