BOLTS FROM THE BLUE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 71, Issue 237, 6 October 1928, Page 14

BOLTS FROM THE BLUE

STORY OF THE METEORITE DISTINCTION FROM METEORS. Most people at some time or another have noticed bright tracks of light flashing across the tky, and, spoken of them as shooting stars, kney are not stars, however, but meteors. Should they fall upon the earth they are then called meteorites. When it is realised that a star is a great sun, beside which our own sun is a mere dwarf, and at such a tremendous distance away that light, travelling at the rate of 166,000 miles a seconu, takes over four years to reach us from the nearest one, it will by understood that to class the phenomenon as a shooting star is a mis take, in the course of an interview with a “Cni'onicle” reporter, Mr W. Ward, of the city Observatory, stated that the light resembling a star, which is seen, is from particles of iron, uranium or nickel, which have penetrated the earth’s atmospheric envelope. Outer space is sprinkled with particles of matter, probably fragments from great celestial catastrophes, the collision between two dead suns. The earth attracts these particles towards itself at a rate estimated at one million in every twenty-four hours. They travel at a tremendous speed without friction through outer space, but immediately they enter the earth’s atmosphere the friction becomes very great, resulting in an increase of temperature. The meteor, as it is is burnt up and dissipated in gas or line dust. What we see as a bright streak of light is a burnt fragment at an average distance of 30 miles. The dust from the meteors eventually filters down towards the earth’s surface and is attracted towards the poles. Polar explorers have observed fields of meteoric dust showing distinctly on the white surface of the snow and ice where they have settled from the upper regions of the earth’s atmosphere. Occasionally a meteor which enters our atmosphere is of so large a size that there is enough of its bulk remaining, after reduction by I’ricton, to actually cause it to strike the earth. They are then known as meteorites. From the fact of the reduction by friction it will be realised that these meteorites are a great deal larger and heavier before they enter our atmosphere. Most museums throughout the world contain meteorites of varying size. The Wanganui Museum has one which, fell in the Taranaki province some years ago. In this connection it might also be stated that part of the trunk of the tree struck by the metallic substance is also preserved. A> the oceans of th e world occupy a larger space than the land surfaces, more meteorites fall in the sea, and there are more records of mariners having observed suck phenomena. Luckily, in historical times, little damage has been caused by meteorites striking centres of population, but there is no guarantee that they will not do so. The damage which would be wrought in such an event would be tremendous. A case has recently been reported in astronomical journals of a small meteorite striking a child in Northern India. The celestial fragment in .this case was only the size of a small pebble, but it was suffeient to scar the child’s arm. In the desert country of Arizona is most remarkable evidence of the effect of a large meteorite w'hich fell in ages past. Right in the centre of the desert appears a great crater. It is nearly a mile from lip to lip and over 500 feet in depth. For a mile round scientists

have discovered thousands of fragments of meteoric metal and it is estimated that the bulk of the great meteorite is buried in the crater 1300 feet below the surface of the earth, such being the force of impact when it fell from the sky. Round the crater, the natural rock of this locality has been broken into massive lumps, and scattered promiscuously. Falling as it were like bolts from the blue, meteorites have in all ages been regarded as manifestations of the miraculous. Livy mentions a fall of meteorites which took place about 650 B.C. on the Alban Mount. It was taken to be a sign of displeasure of the gods, ami consequently a solemn festival of nine days was held. Various other early writers have mentioned “falling stones from the skies,” many of which were worshipped as “things fallen from heaven.’’ In the tenth chapter of Joshua wc read that “the Lord cast down great stones from Heaven,” evidently referring to a fall of meteorites, and probably the earliest record of such an occurrence. The oldest meteorite actually preserved is suspended by a chain in the parish church of Ensisheim, Alasce. A translated extract from the document, kept in the church, relates that the meteorite fell on November 16, 1492, and was taken to its present resting place as a miraculous object.