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Fig. 1.

The Solar System.

Frontispiece.

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COMETS AND METEORS:
THEIR PHENOMENA IN ALL AGES;
THEIR MUTUAL RELATIONS;
AND THE
THEORY OF THEIR ORIGIN.

BY
DANIEL KIRKWOOD, LL.D.,

PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS IN INDIANA UNIVERSITY, AND AUTHOR OF "METEORICASTRONOMY."

PHILADELPHIA:
J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.
1873.

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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by
DANIEL KIRKWOOD, LL.D.,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.

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PREFACE.

The origin of meteoric astronomy, as a science,dates from the memorable star-shower of 1833.Soon after that brilliant display it was found thatsimilar phenomena had been witnessed, at nearlyregular intervals, in former times. This discoveryled at once to another no less important, viz.: thatthe nebulous masses from which such showers arederived revolve about the sun in paths intersectingthe earth's orbit. The theory that these meteor-cloudsare but the scattered fragments of disintegratedcomets was announced by several astronomersin 1867:—a theory confirmed in a remarkablemanner by the shower of meteors from thedébris of Biela's comet on the 27th of November,1872.

To gratify the interest awakened in the publicmind by the discoveries here named, is the maindesign of the following work. Among the subjectsconsidered are, cometary astronomy; aerolites, withthe phenomena attending their fall; the most bril[Pg 4]liantstar-showers of all ages; and the origin ofcomets, aerolites, and falling stars.

It may be proper to remark that the languageused by the writer in a volume[1] published severalyears since, and now nearly out of print, has beenoccasionally adopted in the following treatise.

Bloomington, Indiana, April, 1873.

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CONTENTS.