Abstract
EFFECT UPON THE EARTH's MOTION PRODUCED BY SMALL BODIES PASSING NEAR IT—Prof. H. A. Newton has published a paper on this subject in the American Journal of Science for December, 1885. He points out that the space through which the earth travels is traversed also by small bodies or meteoroids. The impact of these bodies upon the earth and the consequent increase of the earth's mass have their effect upon the earth's motions both of rotation and revolution. The moon's orbit and the length of the month likewise suffer change. Prof. Oppolzer (Astron. Nachrichten, No. 2573) has considered the amount of these actions, and has computed the density which the meteoroid matter must have in the space which the earth is traversing in order to account for the observed and unexplained acceleration of the moon's mean motion. But a body that passes near the earth has also an action of like character by reason of the attraction of gravitation alone, and the conclusion at which Prof. Newton arrives is that these latter bodies do not have an effect at all comparable with that produced by those which actually come into the earth's atmosphere. In fact his investigation shows that the effect upon the earth's motion of the meteors that come into its atmosphere exceeds at least one-hundredfold. that of the meteors that pass by without impact.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Our Astronomical Column . Nature 33, 210 (1885). https://doi.org/10.1038/033210a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/033210a0