Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-05-18


Knowledge mental phenomenon more
common than the physical one Of fall
ing stars" and, in its way. quite as
worthy OF attention.
The phrases failing stars and shoot
ing stars" are responsible for more mis-
understanding of scientific facts than any
others with which 1 am acquainted.
They are so strikingly descriptive OF the
effects produced upon the eye that they
substitute the appearance for the reality
In the minds of persons not familiar with
the facts of astronomy.
There is no such thing as a falling
star, or a shooting star No star was
even seen TO leave its place and drop To-
ward the earth, or go sailing away
through space. There are rev IN
stances of stars having disappeared from
the heavens, and there are other instances
of new stars making their appearance
there. but no star ever moves from It's
place in the slightest degree as far as
naked-eye observation can detect
IT Is true that the stars are all in mo-
tion. but these stellar movements can
only be measured with the most re-
fined and accurate instruments known
to science, There is an apparent mouon'
common TO all the stars. due simply 10
the rotation of the earth on It's axis
which causes the heavenly bodies TO ap-
near TO pass slowly through tho sky from
east to west. -.-s
There are also a few objects in the SKY
which look like stars and which do nave
rootion,,. that can be observed with the
noLed eve. if the observations are con-
tinued for many nights in SUCCESSION
These apparent stars are the earth SIS
.Navn n
ter planets, which: like 1t, revolNe ar"uiiu
tho sun in orbits millions Oh miles III 0H
emit. But there are only five OF theso
bodies-lIercury, Venus Mars Supi'e'
and Saturn--that are ever notceu Wy !"
naked eve observer, and none OF tneim
moves In the manner OF 'ialllhe sUai'
The distances OF the planets from llio
earth vary with their positlohs III Ie
e,rhits and run from tens up to hundreds
-,n,,ons NJ miles. Tho true stars are
Guns more or less resembling our sun
and they are millions OF uineS "i'''
tant than the planets. 49, ,,.s
What. then, are the phenomena caIleo
,a,,,pg starsP If you cali them ''meteors'
=. astronomers do. and disoonnect them
a., Uo,,r mind from all association with
stars YOU will have taken the first step
tou,sra n COMPREHENSION Of what they
A meteor is a piece of solid matter,
stony or metallic in composition winch
$500 a. meets the earth. has been traV-
el,ne through space like a miniature
nIonst An an orbit probably having the
srr for it's focus 1t moves. as 1t must
A. under the law of gravitation, with a
yeIocItv comparable with. but consider
ably greater than that OF planet at a
s,r,tlar distance from the sun, for its
l. - uFf VELOCITY,
This velocity in the neighborhood OF the
TT Go about twenty-six miles per sec
ond.
AS long as a meteor continues tie course
outs,de the earth's atmosphere it remains
absolutely invisible, but If its course ID
changed by the earths attraction so as
TO bring it within the virtual limits OF tht
otr,osnbere. saw within 100 or 200 milei
of the earths surface, II Is lilsIailti'
heated 10 a very high temperature by
friction with the air, and 1t flashes lht'
Fvine shark of fire, speeds swiftly
across the sky. or appears to drop down
ward, and usually disappears within
second or two.
There Is reason TO believe that the vas
majority of meteors of this class are no
larger than grains of sand or small pep
bles 1t mas beeh CdlCuiaIeu ''1'
tween 100000 and 100000 of them
bright enough TO be seen with the naRe'
eye. enter the earths atmosphere (count
ing all sides Of the globe) every twenty
four hours. while telescopes show fainte
ones playing across the depths OF tn
atmosphere. which may number hundred
of millions. Minute as they are II the
struck the earth they would be as fata
to it's Inhabitants as rain Of shrapneI
but fortunately they are all consume
high in the air.
As 70 the vexed question Of the origi
Of meteors. there is only room to sa
that those which appear in periodic show
ers seem 10 be connected with comets
and occasionally they travel in the for
mer orbits Of comets that have disap
peared.