"There is no light in earth or heaven But the cold light of stars," falling in showers, as though a sudden frenzy had seized the bright eyes which usually look down so calmly from the silent spheres, or that the bands of Orion were loosed, or the stars in their courses were literally fighting, not against the Canaanitish chieftain, but against each other. Ancient records tell of stars falling on certain occasions like "a rain of fire," or 66 as thick as hail," or like a shower of locusts; " and modern times have witnessed some magnificent displays of the like kind. One of the most brilliant of these took place in the United States, on the night of the 12th of November, 1833. Professor Olmsted gives a detailed account, of which the following is the substance: It will be remembered that this shower took place on the night of the 12th of November; and one of the most remarkable and suggestive facts about these great displays is, that they occur annually about that date, and about the 10th August. Other periods, also, have been noticed, though not so frequently, about April 23, July 26, December 7, &c. We say about, for they do not appear particular in keeping their appointments with the earth, to a day or two, and they occasionally miss a year. But these periods vary. If, with M. Biot, we examine the records kept by the Chinese during different dynasties, we find that, B.C. 687, when Manasseh was reigning in Judea, and before Media, Macedon, and Rome were powers in the earth, a great star shower "The meteors began to attract notice by appeared on March 23, and the next similar their frequency as early as nine o'clock on entry is on the 27th of the same month. the evening of the 12th November. The Distinct periods occur in these records of exhibition became strikingly brilliant about the Celestial Empire about July 22, October eleven o'clock, but most splendid of all about four o'clock, and continued with but little 14, April 13, but never once near August 10, intermission until darkness merged in the or November 12. Or if, with M. Chasles, light of day. A few large fire-balls were we hunt up the old chronicles and monastic seen even after the sun had risen. The tales, we shall find that the heavens have entire extent of the exhibition is not ascer- shot lances of fire, year after year, on Febtained, but it covered no inconsiderable por- ruary 1, October 17, the middle of March, tion of the earth's surface. It has been and that on April 4, for many years, at the traced from the longitude of 610 in the Atlantic Ocean to longitude of 1000 in Central end of the eleventh century, "nearly all the Mexico, and from the North American lakes stars ran like dust carried by the wind." to the southern side of the island of Jamaica. It is a singular fact that, if we compare Everywhere within these limits the first appearance was that of fireworks of the most imposing grandeur covering the entire vault of heaven with myriads of fireballs resembling sky-rockets the forty-six notable, cases in Chasles' catalogue with the fifty most remarkable Chinese showers we find only one date common to the two lists-namely, October 14, A.D. 934. The meteors all seemed to emanate from one and the same And whereas we find the July 23 period repoint (in the constellation Leo). They set markably regular in China about A.D. 830 out at different distances from this point, and and 920, those two periods in Europe were proceeded with immense velocity, describing, marked by showers in February. The idea in some instances, an arc of 300 or 400 in has been thrown out that there is a secular in less than four seconds. . A few ob-progression of these periods, but a careful servers reported that they heard a hissing noise like the rushing of a sky-rocket, and comparison of the observations on record has slight explosions like the bursting of the led us to feel doubtful on this point; and to same body. It does not appear that any believe that the periods remain stationary for substance reached the ground which could awhile, and then are exchanged for other be clearly established to be a residuum or periods; the same kind of intermission of deposit from the meteors. An observer at regularity occurring in reference to centuries Boston estimated that the number exhibited which we have already noted in the annual every quarter of an hour would be 10,000; and as the phenomenon continued for seven recurrence of these magnificent phenomena. hours, the total number must have greatly That there has not been the variation of a exceeded 280,000; inasmuch as this estimate day in the August period for some centuries was based on observations when the density is proved by a church calender existing in of the stars was much less than its max- Christ College, Cambridge, where the 10th of imum." that month, St. Lawrence's Day, is marked by the word Meteorodes; and it was a common legend, that the saint wept fiery tears on his anniversary. suddenly to fly off at a sharp angle, and lose From our present high position let us Other generalizations have been made in review the theories which men have framed respect to these showers; thus: "The number of meteors varies through the successive hours, from six p.m. to six a.m., by a regular increase up. to the lastnamed hour. The number which appear in the east is more than double the number originating in the west; those from north and south nearly equal. In other words, nearly two-thirds of the whole number originate in the eastern hemisphere of the sky." course. as to the origin of meteorities. First, we "The oldest people in Malacca say they By the simultaneous observations of astronomers in different places, it has been computed by Mr. Walker that their velocity averages eighteen miles and a quarter per second, though some fly through space at the rate of twenty-four, and others glide along at the rate of only nine miles per secondsluggish meteors, content to travel at only forty times the speed of a cannon-ball. More recent computations have given the average speed at thirty-eight miles, or twice the velocity of the earth itself. From fourteen observations made at Breslau and Vienna, it was found that the visible path of the shooting stars averaged twenty-two miles and a half, and the mean duration of their light a little over a second. The height Let us summon the different scientific above the earth of course varies greatly, and theories before our tribunal. The venerable must vary in different parts of the meteor's dictum that these stones fall from the sun As a rule, no doubt the brighter utters its voice first, but when asked for argubodies are nearer to us, some ten, others ments it has none to offer. Then comes a fifty miles, perhaps, above our heads, while modest suggestion that they may have been the faint streaks, which appear like stars of thrown up by some volcano, and have fallen the smallest magnitude, are generally at a down again a long way off. But on referring far greater altitude; and instances are not to the total dissimilarity of these stones from Wanting where the telescope has revealed any known lavas, and the immense distance streaming showers which the unaided eye at which they sometimes fall from any active could not detect. In the case of a shower volcano, and their great rapidity, the supposiof stars they appear in general to stream tion retires. A rash exclamation of "Why, from one fixed point in the heavens, and to be sure, they were made in the upper even to have a kind of point of convergence regions of the atmosphere like hailstones, in the opposite hemisphere. Their courses and fall like them, too," is heard, with a conare usually downwards; but this is not al- fused talk about gases, and electricity, and ways the case, for by coincident observations diamagnetism; but our theorist is reminded some have been shown to move horizontally that there is abundance of water in the clouds with the earth, and others positively up-to make hail of, and he is passed by till he wards! Their apparent course is that of a can manufacture a ball of iron weighing 1000 curve, but this is partly due to perspective; lbs. without any metal, but merely by coaxand sometimes a wandering star will be seen ing together unknown gases, which if like to pursue a zigzag, uncertain course, or, after their fellows have an unlimited power of proceeding straight and steadily for awhile, diffusibility, and keep it floating aloft while it is being made, and then fling it down in a slanting direction with thirty times the force of a cannon-ball. Then comes the theory that they are projected from lunar volcanoes with an initial velocity of 8000 feet per second, which, would be sufficient to carry them within the sphere of the earth's preponderating attraction; and this theory brings with it much authority, terminating with the paper of Professor Smith, from which we have aiready quoted. But while it cannot be disproved, it is very unfortunate for its acceptance that all the recent examinations of the volcanoes on our side of the moon have shown them in the repose of death, their fires gone out; and the theory leaves unaccounted for the rapidity of their descent and the number and periodicity of the falling stars, if indeed these latter phenomena are connected, as we cannot help thinking, with the meteoric stones. The bold theory of Chladni then demands a hearing-namely, that these mysterious bodies are revolving as little planets round the sun, and are rendered visible only when they enter our atmosphere, sometimes passing along in their orbits, disturbed no doubt, but not stopped, by the nearness of their gigantic sister, and sometimes drawn irresistibly to her. This cosmical theory, as it is termed, supposes likewise that these lilliputian planets congregate in long clusters or rings, the orbits of which cut the plane of the ecliptic about the point which the earth occupies on August 10, November 13, &c. Now this theory, bold as it is, has gained the suffrages of most living astronomers, for it harmonizes all the observed facts, the non-terrestrial character of the stones, the force of their descent, the rapidity of the luminous meteors, and especially the periodicity and common direction of the star showers. come within 300 miles of that of the great globe, but never cut its actual path; but it is inconceivable that with all the perturbations to which all the bodies concerned are subject, this should happen year after year, and not with one cluster only, but with all those which have appeared as a rain of fire. And yet there is.no case on record where a shower of falling stars has been attended with a shower of stones. As we cannot believe that these myriads of little planets should be confined to a small belt which circles the path of the earth, and is not one-twentieth of its diameter, must we give up the idea that the falling stars, the larger meteors and the fireballs that rain down stones, are connected phenomena, or may we imagine that in a large majority of instances the solid mass is extremely small, and is dissipated to powder in the upper regions of our atmosphere? Or may we imagine that our large planet and these minute planets are insulated bodies, strongly charged with the same kind of electricity, and thus the small bodies fly from our path as we approach? We have never seen this idea broached, but it would account also for the upward motion seen in some shooting stars. The idea that these clusters are revolving round the earth in eccentric orbits will not explain their annual recurrence; and the hypothesis that we sweep through outlying portions of the zodia cal light must wait till we know something more about that appearance, and whether it is really caused by solid matter. "Ce n'est qu'une étoile qui file, Qui file, file et disparait," sang Béranger, but what a strange tale does it tell, not to the poet only, but to the philosopher! His eyes are opened, not as Obe ron's were, when "Certain stars shot madly from their spheres To hear the sea-maid's music; "J but as one who catches some stray notes of that music of the spheres, sounded in solemn chorus by the great planets and their attend We accept this cosmical theory as the best that offers itself, though we see one great difficulty. It supposes our earth, a solid sphere of 8000 miles in diameter, to overtake or be overtaken by a flock of hundreds of ant moons, the asteroids and comets, and thousands of little pieces of metal, and that those which are visible are all within say 300 miles of the large sphere. How is it possible that by far the greater portion of these little pieces should pass or be passed by the huge globe without being swept into it, or striking themselves against it? It might happen once, that the orbit of such a cluster should the world-dust, which revolve with a never ceasing melody round the all-attracting sun. And should some portion of this dust be flung upon our globe, what strange news does it bring of the materials of extra-terrestrial orbs! From the circumstances of its descent we cannot say whether, in its own sphere, it possessed an atmosphere, or mimicked our "Accustomed to know non-telluric bodies, solely by measurement, by calculation, and by the inferences of our reason, it is with a kind of astonishment that we touch, weigh, and analyze a substance appertaining to the world without: the imagination is stimulated, and the intellect aroused and animated by a spectacle in which the uncultivated mind sees only a train of fading sparks in the clear sky, and apprehends in the black stone which falls from the thunder-cloud only the rude product of some wild force of nature." seas and clouds, but there it lies, a lump-| Hind gives a list of six hundred and seven like, and yet unlike our rocks-like, in con- that have been described in Chinese or Eurotaining no element but what we are familiar pean annals; but on the one hand many of with, and presenting the same modes of these are successive visitations of the same crystallization and chemical combination, but comet, while on the other hand, until the invention of the telescope, it was only those unlike, in its deficiency of some of our com- of great magnitude which could be seen. In monest elements. How strange, too, that the first half of the present century, eighty the iron should be mixed with nickel, cobalt, were observed, and during the year which is chromium, and manganese, the metals most now terminating, six at least have been reclosely allied to it in chemical properties, corded. We may safely conclude, therefore, and having nearly the same atomic weight, sands, of these bodies revolving round the that there are many hundreds, perhaps thouand that though oxygen enters into the com- sun in orbits all very elliptical, and someposition of the silicates, there is not sufficient times so long that they approach closely to to combine with the iron or phosphorus. the form of the parabola, and cutting the Well does Humboldt say: plane of the ecliptic at every angle, some in Each one of these is sometimes flying near the order of the signs and others retrograde. the sun with marvellous rapidity, and sweeping round the sphere of fire its ever changing tail, sometimes slowly wending its way, cold and dark, but still obedient to the potent like a little cloud, through trackless space, force which chains it to the central orb, and will draw it back at length among the nearer planets. The periods of many of these that of Encke's comet is not quite three bodies have been determined very accurately years and four months, that of Biela's six years and a half, and several others have somewhat analogous periods, including that of Faye, which is expected to be seen next October, by those who have good telescopes. Then there are the magnificent Halley's comet, and four others, which have periods of about seventy-five years, and many which take a still longer and wider sweep into those dreary depths that sever our solar system from the nearest fixed stars. The movements of one that was observed from Paris, in 1844, indicated a periodic time of 102,050 years, This uncertainty is an important feature of subject to an uncertainty of about 3090 years their revolutions, distinguishing them from the solid planets, which in their nearly circular orbits keep exact time, and it arises from their extreme levity which enables them to be drawn aside by Jupiter and every other weighty globe. These sublunary phenomena have afforded us so much matter for remark that we fear we can do but scanty justice to comets, those marvellous bodies which sweep in strange curves through the solar system, and by their sudden appearance in the skies have often affrighted whole nations. About their extraterrestrial nature there can be no doubt; indeed, our acquaintance with them is precisely opposite in its character to our knowledge of meteoric stones; we can form no conception of the materials of which they are constituted, or of the physical laws which regulate some of their phenomena, but we can trace out with great accuracy their path space, and in many instances predict the time of their return. The two treatises which we have placed at the head of this article are valuable contributions to our knowledge of this subject, by the well-known astronomer, Mr. Hind. The one gives, in a concise and very intelligible form, a description of whatever is known respecting comets; the other discusses, in a popular manner, all the astronomical questions that have reference to the comet-panic of this summer. in As to the number of comets, it is impossible to come to any definite conclusion. Mr. *This difference was forcibly pointed out some years ago in this Review by a well-known scientific writer. Many of our readers will remember the comet of 1843, which appeared first in southern regions, but, anticipating the mails, surprised our English astronomers by its sudden passage above their horizon. It far exceeded Venus in brilliancy, and was accompanied by a tail usually 450 in length, but on one occasion measuring 65°. It approached within 96,000 miles of the sun, that is, 1000 times nearer than we are, and then passed away, not to return, probably, for 376 years. Its nucleus was estimated at 5000 miles in diameter, and it" exhibited a brilliant train that on-different dates was found to attain the In 1066, the year of the Norman Conquest, But we must have a word about these sun. These bodies shine by reflected light, and generally are colored white or pale blue, though sometimes red, orange, or even green. They must be thinner, incomparably thinner than the thinnest wreaths of vapor, the cirri which appear in our upper atmosphere, for the light of stars suffers no visible refraction in passing through them, nor any diminution of brightness. Indeed, from some cause or other, an increase of brilliancy has been sometimes observed. The matter which will permit this is about as unknown on earth as are the forces which produce the jets and the enormous tail, and keep it in so remarkable a position towards the sun. The fear of comets appears to have passed through two stages: "Prior to the advent of the famous comet of 1680, which excited astonishment throughout the world from its extraordinary size, these mysterious objects were regarded merely with a superstitious awe, as the omens of evil to mankind, foreboding war and pestilence, famine, earthquakes, inundations, and a host of other dire consequences. Louis le Debonnaire, when asked why he evinced a dread of the comet of 837, which was flaming in the sky, replied, to the effect, that he felt no fear of the comet itself, but he was alarmed at the signification of that sign,' in this instance, his own death." awaited certain death, or took absurd precautions to prevent it, removing from town to country, or vice versa, or lying in bed! And many far removed from the ignorant multitude felt an uneasiness, which generally seemed to assume the form that, if the comet came near the earth it would produce great heat, though we never found such parties ca pable of meeting the objection that, as the strange visitor would come from so enormous a distance from the sun's influence, he must be intensely cold, if, indeed, he were not film of frost. But the comet did not come. Mr. Hind's book tells us what foundations there were for the panic. It apaears that in 1264 a splendid comet became visible, which, according to our old friends the Chinese, had a train 1000 long, while European astronomers who saw it from the middle of July till October 2, "the night of the death of Pope Urban IV.," assign it nearly the same extent. In 1556, appeared the wonderfully bright but tailless comet of Charles V., the track of which was carefully observed at the time, and which there are fair reasons for thinking was the same body as appeared in 1264. If so, it should appear about this time, the 292 *One of these, entitled Will the Comet Strike the Earth! was a literary curiosity, as it consisted in a great measure of long extracts taken verbstim from the eloquent lecture on "the Prophet of Exeter Hall, before the Young Men's Christin Horeb," delivered by the Rev. Morley Punshon at Association, but inserted without acknowledge ment, or even inverted commas, into a waste of most ineloquent and incongruous writing. The conclusion arrived at in the pamphlet was delightfolly vague-the comet might strike the earth or it might not. |