SIIOOTIjSG STARS, BOUS AKI) AEROÜTES

3Y IHH TOIl J. MUSOZ TKBAR

Of the ÜTaiversity of Caracas (Venezuela )

Al) essay presentad by the autlior to the Jn1nnmmical Soeiety ofIhc I’acific, a.s a menibership contrlbulion.

The essay begins by a snoeint historieal desor ption, which, briefas it ís, tonc'hes every iniportant point sludied and nieditated opondnringtlie present eontnry conoorning'sliooting stars, bolis and aero-lites, and eventually lamí» on the explanation ol'tho present cometarytlieory.

Tlie.n it goes on exposing the principal inoideuts wliich liave beenobservad in connection witli tile appearanco of said ineteors, andpresenta a series of very grave objoctions against the present theory,ohjections based upon tliose observations and upon several seientilicprincipies.

Aftcrsonie very niteresting eonsideiations on the snbject and aniunber of remarkable quotations, it coneludes by proposing an en-tirely new theory for the explanation of tliese phenoiueua.

According to the anthor the shooting stars are hall liglitnings vhichahonnd in the upper región» of the atmosphere and nnder certaineonditions tlieir nnmber all over ono and the sanie región is so consi-derable, as to present the appearanco of a sliower.

When these lightnings are fonned in the lowcr región» of theatmosphere or in the case of tlieir descending far down in the same,tliey origínate the so called bolis, and rvhoii the ball-liglituing dartstlirongh a elond or throngh air impregnated witli snbstances lifted npfiom the surf'aee of tlio soil and scattered in the atmosphere througlieyolons and hnrricanos, or vnlcanie eruptions, tlieir etfect is to imitoaíl those substauce» into one single mass, thns forrning the meteoroliteor aerolite.

Ball-lightnings and rain» of ball-Iigh tilinga are not of frequentocnrrence in the atmospheric strata inmediately above the snrface ofthe earth, still tliere are instances of both kinds of pheuomeua.