METEORS. 
95. 
evident that this group of meteors and the earth would at some time reach the 
point A. at the same instant and the result would be a meteoric shower. 
Such meteoric masses as were 
not absorbed by the earth in this 
rencountre would pursue their 
course and after a certain period 
some of them would again be caused 
to contribute to a similar meteoric 
display. 
It is easy to see that this dis- 
2\j- play would happen about the ?ame 
time of the year and at regular in- 
tervals determined by the relation 
between the periodic times of the 
earth and group of meteors 
Suppose now that A N. M. 
should represent the orbit of a con- 
tinuous stream of meteors moving 
around the Sun like an immense 
ring. Every year when the earth 
arrived at A there would be a me- 
teoric shower. This is what hap- 
pens each year about August loth. 
Thus far we have kept within the limits of the solar system entirely in order 
to show that all meteoric phenomena could be accounted for within those limits. 
But there are certain meteoric displays, notably those which appeared in 1799, 
1833 and 1866, which cannot be considered as coming within the limits of the 
above reasoning, because it is known that the group from which these meteors 
emanate has a retrograde motion and moves in a cometary orbit. But this fact 
no more militates against our previous reasoning than do retrograde comets 
against the nebular theory. It only enlarges the scope of the inquiry and shows 
that while many meteoric masses are proper to our ^system many also wander to 
us from the remote depths of space. 
From what has been said we conclude that meteoric phenomena are but the 
continuation of that process by which the solar system has for infinite ages been 
collecting the scattered matter from outer space and by which the planets have 
grown to their present size; that this process now retains but the shadow of its 
ancient vigor and will probably slowly fade^and finally vanish in the great end 
toward which all creation tends. 
Kansas City, May 5, 1883,.. 
