EARTH GROWS BIGGER EVERY DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 234, 2 October 1937, Page 2 (Supplement)

EARTH GROWS BIGGER EVERY DAY.

The other day a bright orange flame was seen to flash across the sky, and there has been some speculation as to what could be the cause. Most likely it was a meteorite. Fragments from space are constantly rushing into our atmosphere, attracted by the earth's gravitation. If these are only about the size of a pin's head they become brilliantlv incandescent owing to friction with the air, and they appear as shooting stars. The larger the fragment the longer the shooting star lasts. It is fortunate for us that most of the fragments are very small, and are burnt up completely before they can reach the ground. Very occasionally a fragment as large as a nut actually reaches the earth, and then there is destruction all round. Professor Newton, the astronomer, estimates that the number of meteorites entering our atmosphere every day and becoming visible is between 10,000,000 and 20,000,000. Another astronomer estimates that, in addition to those which are visible there are at least 100,000,000 entering our atmosphere daily which can be seen only with the aid of a telescope. When the meteorites are burnt up their material is still in our atmosphere, and, in addition, there ; .ri a great deal of meteoric dust attracted to the earth.