Bad Week for Leonids

A lot of disappointed U. S. astronomers went to bed early one evening last week. They had planned to sit up all night to watch the expected leonid meteor display, but fogs and rain in most localities made observing impossible. Watchers at New Orleans had several hours of clear sky, reported a fine display.

Founder of the American Meteor Society, Dr. Charles Pollard Olivier of the Flower Observatory, University of Pennsylvania, has encouraged laymen for the past few years to help astronomers observe meteor phenomena. Last week he asked them to time the flight of each shooting light, watch carefully to see where the meteors originated. Since some of Dr. Olivier's amateur helpers have reported a shower this year, astronomers know that the meteorites have not been pulled out of their usual path by another planet as they were in 1899. In this case, the next two years should have brilliant display.

Although most meteors burn out before they reach the surface of the earth, many small and a few large cosmic bullets have hit. One of the few known cases of a human being having been struck was reported near Tokyo. A three-year-old child was hit on the neck, badly burned.

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