Rough Ways Made Smooth: A series of familiar essays on scientific subjectsProctor, Richard A. (Richard Anthony)
Science
Rough Ways Made Smooth: A series of familiar essays on scientific subjects
Proctor, Richard A. (Richard Anthony)
Science
Strangely enough, a German astronomer, Klinkerfues, seems to have
regarded the meteoric display of November 27, 1872, as an actual visit
from Biela's comet. He telegraphed to Pogson, Government Astronomer
at Madras, 'Biela touched earth on November 27, look out for it near
Theta Centauri;' which, being interpreted, means, Biela's comet then
grazed the earth, coming from the feet of Andromeda, look for it where
it is travelling onwards in the opposite direction--that is towards the
shoulder of the Centaur. As Biela's comet had in reality passed that
way twelve weeks earlier, the instructions of Klinkerfues were somewhat
wide of the mark. However, Pogson followed them, and near the spot
indicated he saw two faint cloud-like objects, slowly moving athwart
the heavens. These he supposed to be the two comets into which the
missing comet had divided. It so happens, strangely enough, that these
objects, though moving parallel to the track of the missing comets,
were neither those comets themselves, nor the meteor flight through
which the earth had passed a few hours before. They were probably
somewhat richer meteor clouds, fragments (like the cloud through which
our earth had passed) of this most mysterious of all known comets.
To-night, or perhaps to-morrow or next night (for the position of the
meteor flights is not certainly known) we shall probably see meteors
travelling in advance of the main body. For the earth passes during
the next three days across the orbit of Biela's comet, about as far
in front of the head as she passed behind the head in 1872. Now,
there is no known reason for supposing (on _à priori_ grounds) that
meteors get strewn behind a comet's nucleus more readily than in front
of it. The disturbing forces which would tend to delay some meteoric
attendants would be balanced by forces which would tend to hasten
others. As a matter of fact it would seem that the meteor flights
which follow a comet's nucleus are commonly denser than those which
precede the nucleus. Yet in 1865 many thousands of Leonides were seen
which were in advance of the main body forming the comet of 1866. In
1859, 1860, and 1861, many Perseids were seen, which were in advance
of the comet of 1862. So that we might fairly expect to see a great
number of Andromeds to-night (or on the following nights) even if we
had none but the probabilities thus suggested to guide us. But since
many were seen on November 27 last, when the head of the comet, now
some four months' journey from us, was a whole year's journey further
away, it seems probable that on the present occasion a display well
worth observing will be seen should fine weather prevail. It will be
specially interesting to astronomers, as showing how meteors are strewn
in front of a comet. How meteors are strewn behind a comet we already
know tolerably well from observations made on the Perseids since 1862
and on the Leonides since 1865.
_COLD WINTERS._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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