An introduction to astronomy: designed as a text-book for the use of students in college. By Denison Olmsted ...

MIro,;TOIO S}IOw\RtS. 269
remarkablc, almost exactly at thle same. time of the year, namely, on thie mllorning of the 12th of Novemberi; andl it sool a)ppeared', )y acccoutts received fi'om different parts of the world,
that tlis lphenomenon had occurred on the same 13thl of iNovember, in 1830, 1831;, and 1_832. Itence, this vwas evidently
an ovent indepedclent of t}he casual clhanges of the at.lnosphllere;
for, having a leriotldical return, it was undoubtedly to 1be referred to astronomical causes, and its recurrence, at a certain
definite period of the year, plainlly intdicated some relation to
the revolution of the eartll around the sunl
Itl reltained, lhowever, to develop the nature of this relatioln,
by investigating, if possible, t1he origin of the 11meteors. lThe
viewts to w\\ich thi author of this work was, led, sugge;sted. t]he
probability) that the same phlenomenon would recur at tlth
correspondiing seasons of thel year for at least several years
afterw- ard; anld suchl proved. to l)e the fact, although the
alpplearanees, at every succeeding return, were less anid less
strtikhiltlg, until:1839, when, so far as is known, they ceased
altogcti tlcr.
AMeanwhile, three oilier distincet peltiods of meteoric showe1rs
Chave also been dctcrminlcd; one on the 9th of August, allnd
(more 1rare) o tle t21st of April and 7thf of IDecember respectively.
408. T"..lhe following co07iztsions respectiung the meteorlic
shoilel of Novemberl aie believed to be well establislled, and'most of thlte are now generally admitted by astt'onlolers,
thotugh \we cani not here exhibit tlhe evidence on which thely
were founded.:
XIt is considered, thlen, as established, thait the periodical
imeteors of November (antd most of the conclusions apply
equally to those of August) have their or'i/in beyond the
atmospl)here, descending to us fiom solle body (whlich, f'om
thle known constitution of tlpe meteors, may be called a webtlots body3 ) with which the earth falls il, anid near or throlgh
the bo0rders of whlich] it passes; that this body ]has an independent existence as a member of tle solar sy'stem, its periodic
o We beg leave to refer the reader to vtrious publications on thll suliect., by
the autlhor and others, int thle Amnerican Jourml of Scitlene, commnicint, with tho
25th volumnet: nt a al-o to' Itters on Astronomy," by thle author o t lls work.