South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-11-30
WHERE SHOOTING
STARS COME F ROM
Recent Publication of the
Smithsonian Institute Deals
With Origin.


blackness Of a summer night. where
these strange visitors come from
and where they 90. A recent pub
hcatiOn Of the Smithsonian insutu-
ton deals with the origin Of shoot
ing stars and hreballs both included
In the term meteor. The various eX-
plantations put forward at different
times in the past to account for
these striking phenomena are dis
cussed. and the author then takes
up the present ideas and the most
probable theory as TO their origin.
The knowledge OF stones which
have fallen from heaven extends in
10 the oldest history OF humanity.
back into prehistoric times. Among
the Chinese the mention OF heaven
stones goes back 20 1000 years. and
falling stones have always been
known by the people OF Asia Minor.
by the Greeks and Romans. BY
all these ancient peoples. the mes
sengers Of Heaven were generally
regarded as divine gift5. But with
the advance OF Christianity another
idea Of meteOrites became prevail
emit Gradually there was lost the
oriental conception Of them as bless
irgs. and through the whole middle
ages and almost down 10 the present
day the falling Of meteorites was
considered a warning of approach
ing misfortune.
BY the latter part Of the 18th cen
fury the occurrence of falling stones
had been SO long forgotten that
fail which occurred near Luce. in
France in 1868, caused great en-
barrassment to the professors and
academicians at Paris. because they
did not know what 20 make Of the
event. \ similar condition prevailed
also in America. for when some one
told Pres't Jefferson in 1897 that
two professors had described the
fdll of q stone he declared: "One
can rather believe that two Yankee
professors lie than believe that
stones fall from heaven"
Passing over the beautiful myth
zeal conceptions of the oriental PEG
piles and the assumption in the mid
die ages that they might be due TO
lightning. one can divide into two
groups those holding opinions as 20
the origin of meteorites: supporters
OF the hypothesis that they came
from space and did not belong orig
inally TO the earth and its atmOs-
phere. and the supporters of the
hypothesis that they did originally
belong to our planet. The first of
these groups falls into two sub
groups. those who believe that me
tcCrites come from unlimited space
and the supporters of the hypothesis
that they are elected from lunar
volcanoes. The second group up
holding the terrestrial origin OF me
teorites is divided into those who
think that they originated from the
constituents Of the atmosphere and
those who consider them elected
from terrestrial volcanoes
There have been many respected
adhcrents of the hypothesis of the
origin Of meteorites from the vol
canoes Of the MOON Telescope OBJ
s.ervation gave Informal ton as to the
surface OF the moon, upon which
craters could be seen. and not until
% was esta bIished that "A volcano
on the moon would not possess suf-
iIcient energy 10 impart to an eject
ed block OF stone the necessary mi
tial velocity 20 reach our earth did
the hypothesis of lunar origin fall
into diSfaNOT The idea that me-
1eorites were formed out of consti-
tuents of the atmosphere was held
only as long as their composition
was as vet little known. 1t was soon
90 that iron, nickel, chromium, 81
etc. could not be contained in
air. and this and many other
-ns Withdrew every support
t the hypothesis of the origin of
goric masses i'm the atmosphere.
pf longer duration was the theory
d. their terrestrial origin. Accord
ing 10 this they are said TO have
been thrown out OF the interior of
our planet I'm the dim early ages
with So great force that they were
carried beyond the limit OF its at
traction 10 form "a ring around =,
like that Of Saturn, out OF which
fragments fall 20 the earth again.
Astr0nomic hypothesis as to the
origin OF meteOrites did not develop
until much later. and took their
rise from the idea that meteorites,
shooting stars and comets were all
of the same character. BY studying
the orbits OF comets and meteors
the theory was formulated that
comets which have become periods
split up into periodic swarms Of
shooting stars which revolve in the
courses OF the mother comet The
hreballs are. according to this
theory. nothing more or less than
shooting stars which have been driv-
EN- into lower layers OF air and ap
pear TO Us In larger sizes.
In opposition 10 this theory an
hypothesis was proposed i'm 1875.
based upon mineraIo- geological
la sis. upon the study OF the com
p3nent material OF the meteorites,
and upon the times OF arrival OF
meteorites OF like composition. Ac-
cording 20 this theory. which is gen
orally accepted today. from the
shape and the slicken-sided sur
faces OF meteorites, they are frag-
ments broken from small planetary
masses by volcanic explosions. Such
explosions can only be brought
about by sudden expansion of gases
and steam. among which hydrogen
NAV have been In the first rank.