1 62 THE BORDERLAND OF SCIENCE. 



which circle around it to travel at a rate exceeding 

 more than tenfold, at the very least, the velocities 

 imparted to meteors by our sun's influence. It might 

 seem, then, that we need only look to the larger stars 

 to those suns, that is, which are more massive than our 

 own sun for the source of these perplexing meteoric 

 velocities. This would be sufficiently amazing. We 

 should be compelled to believe in meteoric voyages, 

 compared with which, the journeys of the August and 

 November meteors would be altogether insignificant. 

 We should have to regard some at least of the meteors 

 which our earth encounters as bodies which had tra- 

 versed the inconceivable distances separating our solar 

 system from the stars. And the wonder would be en- 

 hanced by the consideration that a million of years 

 would be insufficient for the least of those tremendous 

 voyages. 



But even this explanation is insufficient. It must 

 be accepted as true so far as it extends. Those meteors 

 which enter the earthly atmosphere with the velocities 

 spoken of must have come from extra-solar space ; they 

 must be visitants from the domain of other suns. 

 This is as certain as the conclusions of astronomers 

 respecting the past and future motions of the planets 

 themselves. But this stupendous fact leaves the vast 

 velocities of the meteors still unexplained. And for 

 this simple reason : Though Sirius and Arcturus cer- 

 tainly, and many other stars probably, are capable of 

 giving to meteors travelling towards them velocities 

 which far exceed those which our sun can impart, yet 



