FALLING STARS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 6086, 12 November 1898, Page 3

FALLING STARS.

SOMETHING TO LOOK OUT FOE, i< Referring to a shower of stars which is duo to-morrow (Snndny) "H.W.8.," writing to the fI.Z. Times, says : "Thepoint from which the November meteorites appear to come is sitanted in the zodiacal constellation Leo—the Lion—and for tins reason they are called the" Leonides." Unfortunately Leo will not rise 'Mil about three o'clock in tho morning, when it will appear in the tN.E., and from this point the ooling stars will appear to radiate, If' Leo were higher ahove the horizon, it could be seon that it the line of light, traced across the sky by these shooting stars, ivero produced back beyond tlioir starting point, they would all meet in Leo. There will be no difficulty in recognising the sickle-shaped constellation Leo, as its very bright star Eegnlns, or tho "liioii's Heart," will rise almost exactly E.O. at about three a.m., and it is very conspicuous on account of its being situated in a remarkably barren portion of the boavens; Alphnrd ("The Solitary One") being the nearest bright star, and it lies some distance above and somewhat to the right of Regulus. 1 By calculations based on tho amount of light they emit, it is estimated that nearly all shooting stars aro very minute bodies, averaging only a grain or two in weight; but I thing this calculation, should be ten with a grain or two of salt. II it is certain that the majority them cannot be as large as rifle bullets, as all comets" are perfectly transparent, which they would not r be if they were composed of such a ' vast number of larger bodies. Moreover not one of tho November meteorites has over been known to reach the ground, Certainly the velocity of encounter with tho earth s atmosphere is very great-about forty miles a second —still they would commenco to loso this great velocity immediately they.entered • the atmosphero, so that if nny of .them were very large they would not be entirely cousumed,_

We are defended trora tins iron hail by a shield at least three hundred miles thick, which, although nothing but thin air, is oven more effective than fisteelshield would bo, as the latter would be worn through in lime, but the meteorites caii do no damage to the air. So we can watch the grand display of lireworks that nature is going to treat us to on Monday and Tuesday nightsi Jrftbout the'slightest apprehension. *I( the shooting stars are ns numerous as they wcro thirty-thrco years ago, regarding which there is somo uncertainty, it will he the grandest and most awe-inspiring sight that a human being can ever witness, but those who wish to see it must sit up £!1 night-, or manage to wake about Ihree in tho morning, as tho display will not be visiblo (ill after midnight, * and will be at its best just before dawn on Tuesday morning. The reason of this is that, as the meteorites are travelling in a direction contrary to that in which the earth is moving, they oncounter that hemisphere only which is at the time in front, and until after midnight wo will be in the rear,"