A RECENT STAR SHOWER. 1 99 



display of November 27 may be perfectly assured that 

 they were then watching the fall of bodies associated 

 with one of the most interesting of all the comets ever 

 studied by astronomers. The collision so dreaded in 

 1832 was in 1872 actually in progress; the process of 

 dissipation commenced in January 1846, was illustrated 

 and, perhaps carried to a further stage last November ; 

 and, lastly, the disappearance of Biela's comet becomes 

 explicable when we perceive of what slight materials 

 the comet's train is formed. During the five hours of 

 the display the earth tunnelled a path (as it were) 

 through this train a path a quarter of a million miles 

 long, and having a circular section nearly 8,000 miles 

 in diameter ; and yet, in this enormous tubular section 

 of the train, having a volume of about twelve millions 

 of millions of cubic miles, there were but some thou- 

 sands of scattered shreds of matter, so minute as to be 

 unable to penetrate our atmosphere. Melted and 

 vaporised high in the more tenuous regions of the 

 atmosphere, these small bodies doubtless sank in the 

 form of an impalpable powder to the surface of the 

 earth, occupying many days, perhaps, in their descent.* 

 We are thus led to the consideration of certain cir- 

 cumstances in shooting-star displays which are essen- 

 tially different from those which we took into account 

 in dealing with meteorites and aerolites. 



* A comet was detected by Mr. Pogson, Government Astronomer at 

 Madras, near the part of the southern heavens towards which the 

 meteors seen on November 27 were travelling. It was at first thought 

 to be Biela's comet, but great doubt exists whether it was connected with 

 that comet in any way. 



