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Written especially for The Houtliern World.1
‘.SHOOTING NTAltfj.’
BY SELBY HABCOUBT, OF FLA.
Twice in each year they come darting
across our placid skies; appearing from one
quarter, scarcely seen, before they vanish in
another, as though hastening from universe
to universe, bearing messages fraught with
life or death; what wonder that in past
times, the ignorant masses viewed them
with a terror only less abject than that which
the pale light of a comet on the horizon cre
ated 7 For surely there does seem something
unreal, something uncanny in the way in
which those luminous trails suddenly ap
pear in the quiet skies, from nowhere, appa
rently, and vanish, almost ere the eye can
realize them to the same mysterious re
gion ! Shooting stars is the popular name
of these eccentric, hasty visitors to our at
mosphere, but astronomers call them also,
aerolites, meteorolites, and fireballs, for all
these are merely varieties of the same phe
nomenon. Aerolites that fall during the
day are always seen to be projected from a
small, dark cloud, and instantaneously is
heard a sound like thunder or the report of
a small cannon, while those that fall during
the hours of darkness proceed from a fireball,
(the dark cloud of the daytime) projecting
fragments in all directions with a similar
noise.
Thus aerolites and fireballs are proven to
be identical, and looking further, we find
that fireballs cannot be separated from shoot
ing stars, because these two phenomena are
frequently blended, and often merge, the
one into the other, both as regards the size
of theirdisks, the throwing off of sparks, and
the velocity of their motions.
In all ages, and in all countries, there have
been wondrous stories of the fall of stones
from the skies, at first widely credited and
implicitly believed in by all, and then, later
on, by way of reaction, as the days of all-
paramount superstition passed away—the
existence of any such wonderful stones was as
vehemently denied.
But when both extremes had been touched,
the great pendulum of common sense swung
back to the centre, and diligent inquiry into
the subject followed as a matter of course.
And so, when, in April of 1803, a “great
shower of stones” was reported to have fallen
near L’atgle, in Normandy, the celebrated
French savant, Monsieur Blot, was deputed
by the Academy, to visit the spot, and as
certain the truth of the story.
And the substance of his report was this:
that nearly ail the inhabitants of a large
tract of country, had seen the dark cloud,
had beard the explosions, had observed the
stones falling to theearlli, and had afterward
handled them; within an eliptical area of
seven miles, not less than three thousand
stones had fallen, and these were of all sizes,
from one to seventeen pounds.
After this, showers of stones were acknowl
edged to be no longer mythical, and anoth
er marvel was added to the list of mysteries
in the heavens.
Livy tells us that a shower of stones fell
near Borne, in the year 054 B. C., and the
fall of an immense stone, on tho Hellespont,
407 years B. 0., is mentioned by Plutarch
and Pliny, the latter of whom saw it him
self, in the year 70 A. D.; he describes it as
of the size of a wagon, and of “a burned
color.”
Coming down to comparatively modern
times, we read ofa stone, weighing two hun
dred and sixty pounds, that fell near Bnsts-
heim, in Alsace, in the year 1492, a portion
of which may still be seen in the village
church.
Naturally enough atones such as these,
known to be of celestial origin, were, in the
days of rampant superstition, treated with
religious veneration; in Syria the sun was
worshipped under the form of a large black
stone, which was reported to have been cast
down by him from the heavens, and the
same adoration, for the same reason, was ac
corded to the holy Kabba, of Mecca, and the
greatatone of the pyramid of Cbolula, Mexico.
From time memorial, these showers of
shooting stars attracted the attention, and
excited the superstitions of the people of all
nations.
There is a tradition still current in Thes
saly, to the effect that on the night of the
0th of August, (the feast of the transfigura
tion) the heavens open like a scroll, reveal
ing the flaming torches carried by the angels,
asthey pass swiftly by, to kneel before the
Lord. The annals of China, and the holy
books of the Hindoos frequently mention
THE SOUTHERN WORLD, MAY 1, 1883.
showers of shooting stars, and the Mababh-
ante, referring to the wonders that appear
ed in the heavens, after the battle of the
bird Oavouda with the elephant Souprattka,
Informs us that “in the midst of frightful
tempests, the stars in thousandsshot through
the skys."
Coming back to more modem times and
people, we find a tradition current among
the Irish Catholic peasantry, that the shoot
ing stars of the 10th and 11th of August, are
really the burning tears of St. Lawrance,
whose feast day falls on the 10th; hence in
Ireland, the August meteors are popularly
called "St. Lawrance's swarm," or “St. Law
rence's rain."
As we have seen, all these traditions were,
until the beginning of this century, regard
ed by our “wise men," as mere creatures of
the imagination, but once the reality of their
foundation was established, the work of in
vestigating their origin was vigorously enter
ed into; the first step forward, was to go
backward, into the hitherto despised records
of antiquity, and here, from the very begin
ning, were found the same characteristic
features of this phenomenon, occurring with
such regularity and order, that the exist
ence of swarms or rings of meteoric bodies,
so situated that the earth would pass through
them twice each year, in its journey around
the sun, was at once suspected.
The most contradictory hypotheses were
evolved as to the form and nature of these
swarms, some supposing them to be a cir
cle of small plants, chained, as it were, to
the earth, and circulating with it for its
birth.
But the recent researches of the eminent
Italian astronomer, M. Schiaparelli, have
thrown a new and apparently a true light
upon this much vexed question, although
there is still enough mystery left unsolved,
to render the study of shooting stars an in
teresting one to the astronomer.
M. Schraparelli begins by considering the
motion of a cloud of cosmical dust travelling
in a straight line from the unknown depths
of the universe, until it reaches a point
where the influence of our solar system is
exerted upon it.
The furthermost portions of the cloud
formed by the agglomeration of cosmical cor
puscles, would of course feel the power of
the sun less forcibly than the nearer por.
tions, and therefore the form of the cosmi
cal cloud must inevitably be changed; the
further parts lagging behind, as it were, and
the foremost portions reaching out towards
the sun more and more rapidly.
Thus, the once compact cloud would
lengthen out as it neared the end of its jour
ney, and finally, by the time it reached the
full solar attraction, its form would be that
of a long current which would, perhaps be
thousands of years in deAling before its illus
trious captor, the sun.
The course of this great meteoric river
would, moreover, resemble a cometary orbit,
except that this latter is only a mathemat
ical line, to be demonstrated, but not seen,
while the orbit of the meteoric river would
be plainly outlined, like a luminous pennon
in the darkness of space, just as the passage
of a phosphorescent fish may be traced by
the shining line it leaves behind it, in the
water.
Now, if the earth should meet, on its un
ceasing, monotonous journey, such a current
of stars flowing round the sun, it would of
course result, that every year, at a fixed date,
a meteoric shower would be seen by its In
habitants, to fall from one point of the heav
ens, the radiating point of the shooting
stars.
And this, as we all know, is exactly what
we do see; the meteoric rings of August and
November do certainly appear to be, as M.
Schraparelli asserts, rivers of stars of cosmical
dust, whose two ends have been formed by
planetary influence, so as to form a closed
ring circulating around the sun in eclipses
more or less extended.
M. Schraparelli’s researches tend also to
show that comets and shooting-stars proper,
by which we mean not sporadic aerolites, but
the swarnfs of August and November, are
Identical; that shooting stars are tiny com
ets and comets immense shooting-stars, the
substance of each being of inconceivable
tenacity.
One astronomer finds that the orbit of the
August shooting-stars, and that of the second
comet of 1862 are almost identical, while the
same is true of the first comet of 1866, and
the November shower of stars. These facta
set other astronomers to searching for other
agreements between cometary orbits and
swarms of shooting stars, and they have suc
ceeded in finding places for a dozen more
comets in the periodic swarms of stars.
It Is not to be supposed that coincidences
so extraordinary are due to chance; there
must be a relation of cause and effect, Which
further researches will definitely settle;
meantime, it Is an established fact that com
ets and shooting-stars do certainly travel in
the same orbits.
The diameters of shooting-stars art esti
mated to vary from eighty to one hundred
and twenty feet; their heights range from
fifteen to one hundred and fifty miles, at the
points where they appear and vanish, while
their velocities vary from eighteen to thirty-
six miles in a secor.d.
Usually, shooting-stars are sporadic and
traverse the heavens In all directions, but as
we have seen, this is not always tho case.
It is rather singular that Until the pro
digious swarm seeh In the United States be
tween the 12th and 13th of November, in the
year 1833, attracted Universal attention to
the subject, it had never been noticed that
these lumthous showers occurred on the
same days of the year.
It was no wonder that the shower on this
particular occasion attracted more notice
than usual, for it was one of unusual bril
liancy ; the stars fell like flashes of show, we
aro told, and the number that fell in the
space of nine hours, is estimated as over
240,000! Their sizes varied from mere points
or lines to globes as large as the moon; they
all came from the Same quarter, in the con
stellation of Leo, and this point was com
puted by Encke to be the very direction in
which the earth was moving in her orbit at
that time.
While th'e interest of this remarkable
shower of stars was yet fresh, attention was
directed backwards to recorded appearances
of the same phenomenon, and then it was
seen, with astonishment, that all the most
striking showers bad appeared on the same
day in November.
And another fact also WAs noted, and that
was, that every thirty-three or thirty-four
years, the shower of stars was unusually
large and imposing.
Sometimes these periodic showers are
Vague, sometimes altogether absent; but
still, these cases are exceptional, and their
periodicity is fully established, while the
theory of the unequal distribution of the
stars in the bed of the meteoric river, suf
ficiently explains these unequal appear
ances.
It is not only on the 10th of August and
the 12th to the 14th of November that these
periodic showers occur; there are others
less marked, but still worthy of notice. Of
these, Humboldt names the following: from
the 22nd to the 25th of April, the 17th of
July, the 27th to the 29th of November, and
from the 6th to the 12th of December, thus
demonstrating the fact that from April to
December, the earth in its orbit encounters
systems of rings of countless circling shoot
ing-stars.
importance of Small Tilings In Science.
Not long ago I heard this story, which
may serve as a sort of overture to what I
want to say: An excellent gentleman, on
being informed that a certain scientific man
was engaged in work upon frogs, replied,
“Why spend his time in such trival work,
when there is the human soul to investi
gate?" The feeling which actuated the
speaker is one which I repeat is not uncom
mon, and I may add it is quite natural, but
it is certainly wrong in principle. If we
analyze the underlying thought of those
who cavil at ordinary investigation, we shall
find that there are two distinct ideas con
tained in it: First, that in order that any
investigation shall be of value or of impor
tance, it must bear direct fruit, The sub
stance discovered must be useful to some
•Spraotlcal" purpose, either as a medicine or
as a dye-stuff, an explosive or a poison—no
matter what, so that it can be used for some
thing. A second idea is that, in order to
solve the problems of nature, only those of
the most evident importance should be at
tacked. Such questions as, What is life 7
What is electricity 7 What is the attraction
of gravity 7 What is force 7 What is mat
ter?—these are the ones which, in the opin
ion of many, should occupy investigators, to
the exclusion of the less important.
As regards the latter Idea, it may be said
that there are a great many, very strongly
fortified citadels in nature. Scientific in
vestigators have attacked these from time to
time and have been repulsed. A good com
mander, having discovered that a stronghold
is invulnerable from a given point, does not
attempt its capture from that side,but looks
around him for other means of approach ; he
strengthens his forces, he collects more am
munition, and endeavors to keep bis army
in general In good condition, studying the
surrounding country, and awaiting new rev
elatiohs. There is, further, a great
insignificant cAmp-Work to be dohe,
this is neglected, ultimate Success bah
be hoped for.
80, too; the Scientific investigator finding
that a certain problem of paramount impor
tance can not be solved, turns his attention
toothers, the solution of which may, in
the end, contribute to clearing up great
mysteries. There are hosts of minor ques
tions to be answered, and these must be an
swered before tbe fundamental questions of
nature can be. IbtoUgh tbe itasighifitantilfe
the roads of atiVahcetaeht. A fallen i'ehf, a bit
of stone, a tiny fio#fer, a microscopic ani
mal, may contain within themselves the
answers to the most important questions.
It is not the leaf, or the stone, or the animal
that is especially Investigated, but the prin
ciples involved in their existence.—Pbofes-
sob Iba Eemsen, in Popular Science Monthly,
What Science Is Doing lor Modern
Thought*
One of the most ilttpOHaht influences nd#
at Work is doubtless that of sfelfehcfe, ikhl&h
is of course as old as human fcuHosity, slid
is only new in its tesilits, tbe efleet of tile
great advance in scientific thought has befell
to modify considerably ihott forms of
religious belief cab hot be denied; and,'nr
spite of the many attempted reconcillationa ,
of the two, it is not difficult to see that some
of the leading dogmas of Christianity are
doomed. Fortunately, one of the rewards
of the freedom that is given to science is<a
lack of venom in its attack, and, oh the
other side, there is an absence of bitterness
in those whose opinions it Unavoidably al
ters. There ate, Of boUrsfe exceptions. Mod
ern sfeiehce has not expelled arrogance from
the world, and enlightenment has not whol
ly driven out bigotry. Yet, in the calmness
with which the controversy is carried on,
we see how wide-spread is tbe belief that
dogmas are less essential than the truth
which all men alike are seeking. As Pro
fessor Asa Gray puts it: “No sensible per
son now believes what the most sensible peo
ple believed formerly—settled scientific be
lief must control religion." It is one of the
time honored jests which the late Lord Bea*
consfield thrust into his last novel, that tbe
religion of sensible people is Wbat Sensible
people never tell. They may not, but their ^
tolerance of new truths and the altered po
sition of ecciesiosticism declare all that need
be known.
The present interest in science is distinct
ly part of the revolutionary movement
which demands, with restless curiosity, why
everything should be as it Is. This is the
question that is put to every existing insti
tution, and science often gives a serviceable
answer. The answer is a leveling one to all
conventionalities, because science concerns
itself only about facts, and it is heard now
because science can only exist where
thought is free. Freedom of thought is a
powerful solvent, and it is especially destruc
tive to all the conventionalities which exist
by means of the common agreement that
they shall not be examined. We see that in
politics tbe divine right of kings is called in
question, and in tbe uniform tendency of
modern democracy tbe assumption of gov
ernment by those who are governed. In so
cial matters we perceive a similar movement
towards the emancipation of the comprehen
sion of particulars, and as human being have
succeeded in understanding themselves
they have thrown aside the convenient hab
it of dividing the rest of the world into vast
homogeneous classes, and have recognized
the dignity and importance of each individ
ual of the race.—Prom “Science and Con-
science,” by Pbokssob T. 8. Pebby, in Pop
ular Science Monthly.
An English journal, referring to a popular
cook-book, says that the following passage
occurs in a general direction to boil beef :
"Put your meatinto cold water. Liebig, the
great German chemist, advises us to plunge
the meat into boiling water, but the great
cook Francatelli, and othersof the same high
standing, recommend cold; and our own ex
perience and practice are in accordance with
the cook rather than the chemist."
The llluetrirte Oarten-Zeilung, of Vienna,
says it Is the easiest thing in the world to
foretell the weather by observing tbe com
mon American white pine (Pinut Strobue.y
If we are to expect rain or snow within a
reasonable short space of time, the branches
of the last two seasons' growth will be pend
ulous. If such weather be a long way off,
the branches will be raised rather than
drooping.
There were no free passes on the ark; (he
deadheads all took their water straight.