You may hear in the news today (Nov 17th, 1999) about the "Leonids"
meteor shower that is going to occur tonight. Why is this significant
to the LDS community? A spectacular meteor storm occurred on November
13, 1833 during the expulsion of the Saints from Jackson County,
Missouri. Joseph Smith prophesized that this would happen. This
was at a time when scientists had not yet predicted when they
would occur.
The Leonids meteor shower is expected to peak Nov 17th, 1999 at 01:48 Universal Time. Experts are predicting anywhere from 300 to over 100,000 meteors per hour at the height of the shower. It will best be observed in Europe and North Africa. The eastern US will have a better show than the western US.
For more information on the Leonid Shower, check out these web sites:
medicine.wustl.edu/~kronkg/leonids.html
www.leonidslive.com
leonids.arc.nasa.gov
science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast10nov98_1.htm
Thanks, Trevor Fisher
The following are from Trevor's post and from previous discussions as found in the archives.
Philo Dibble said: "On one occasion Joseph [Smith] was preaching in Kirtland sometime in the fall of 1833. Quite a number of persons were present who did not belong to the Church, and one man, more bitter and skeptical than others, made note with pencil and paper of a prophecy uttered on that occasion, wherein Joseph said that ‘Forty days shall not pass, and the stars shall fall from heaven.’ Such an event would certainly be very unusual and improbable to the natural man, and the skeptic wrote the words as a sure evidence to prove Joseph to be a false Prophet. On the thirty-ninth day after the utterance of that prophecy a man and brother in the Church, by the name of Joseph Hancock...and another brother were out hunting game and got lost. They wandered about until night, when they found themselves at the house of this unbeliever, who exultingly produced this note of Joseph Smith's prophecy, and asked Brother Hancock what he thought of his Prophet now, that thirty-nine days had passed and the prophecy was not fulfilled. Brother Hancock was unmoved and quietly remarked, ‘There is one night left of the time, and if Joseph said so, the stars will certainly fall tonight. This prophecy will all be fulfilled.’ The matter weighed upon the mind of Brother Hancock, who watched that night, and it proved to be the historical one, known in all the world as ‘the night of the falling of the stars.’ He stayed that night at the house of the skeptical unbeliever, as it was too far from home to return by night, and in the midst of the falling of the stars he went to the door of his host and called him out to witness what he had thought impossible and the most improbable thing that could happen, especially as that was the last night in which Joseph Smith could be saved from the condemnation of ‘a false prophet’. The whole heavens were lit up with the falling meteors, and the countenance of the new spectator was plainly seen and closely watched by Brother Hancock, who said that he turned pale as death, and spoke not a word. After that event the unbeliever sought the company of any Latter-day Saint. He even enticed Mormon children to keep him company at his house. Not long afterwards, too, he sent for Joseph and Hyrum to come to his house, which they did, but with no noticeable results, for I believe he never received the gospel." (Juvenile Instructor, 27:23, May 1892)
Joseph Smith wrote in his own hand in his diary on Nov 13, 1833: The entry indicates that Joseph saw the meteor shower as "a litteral fulfillment of the word of God as recorded in the holy scriptures and a sure sign that the coming of Christ is close at hand." The entry is completed with a prayer, "Oh how marvellous are thy works Oh Lord and I thank thee for thy me[r]cy u[n]to me thy servent Oh Lord save me in thy kingdom for Christ sake Amen." This "great sign in the heavens" was mentioned by the Prophet six days later, but not discussed. In editing the documentary history, Roberts changed the Prophet's writings that the spelling and the grammar would be correct. Moreover, he added a substantial discursive section describing the event and speculating on its meaning. This addition, some of which was taken directly from the Autobiography of Parley Pratt, was not set apart in any way, leaving the misleading impression that it had been written by the Prophet. Jessee's work provides a means of separating such additions from the true history of the Prophet written "by himself." Thus, besides being valuable, in and of itself,"
Parley P. Pratt wrote: "About 2:00 the next morning [in November 1833] we were called up by the cry of signs in the heavens. We arose, and to our great astonishment all the firmament seemed enveloped in splendid fireworks, as if every star in the broad expanse had been hurled from its course, and sent lawless through the wilds of ether. Thousands of bright meteors were shooting through space in every direction, with long trains of light following in their course. This lasted for several hours, and was only closed by the dawn of the rising sun. Every heart was filled with joy at this majestic display of signs and wonders, showing the near approach of the coming of the Son of God." (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, 103)
The edited form of Joseph Smith's entry read: "About 4:00 a.m. I was awakened by Brother Davis knocking at my door, and calling on me to arise and behold the signs in the heavens. I arose, and to my great joy, beheld the stars fall from heaven like a shower of hailstones; a literal fulfillment of the word of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures, and a sure sign that the coming of Christ is close at hand. In the midst of this shower of fire, I was led to exclaim, 'How marvelous are Thy works, O Lord! I thank Thee for Thy mercy unto Thy servant; save me in Thy kingdom for Christ's sake. Amen’." (Documentary History of the Church, 1:439)
John Brush wrote: "A strange thing happened, which was a marvel and a wonder throughout the land. The Saints assembled for prayer, as usual, and on rising to their feet witnessed a peculiar sight. Numbers of stars had begun to fall and continued to increase until the whole heavens were streaked with their shining trains. For hours this phenomenon continued, presenting a joyful sight to the Saints; for to them it was a glorious witness from God in heaven that He was remembering His people and would cause their persecutors to know that He was displeased with what they had done. And that they were right in taking this view of it was verified by those who visited their camp, for from them the heard that the scene had been one of terror to those who had helped to drive out the Saints. Pricked in their hearts they could not sleep, but ran from house to house, talking over the strangeness of the sight and crying, ‘Send for the Mormons quick, and bring them back, that a terrible calamity may not come upon us.’ But as morning dawned and the great display ceased, they were ashamed to openly confess that they had done wrong, by restoring the Saints to their possessions, and so it was never done." (Autumn Leaves, 4:21-25 and 65-66; EJCM, 26)
The Times and Seasons published on May 15, 1845: "The appearance of these signs varied in different sections of the country: in Zion, all heaven seemed enwrapped in splendid fireworks, as if every star in the broad expanse, had been suddenly hurled from its course, and sent lawless through the wilds of ether: some at times, appeared like bright shooting meteors with long trains of light following in their course, and in numbers resembled large drops of rain in sunshine. Some of the long trains of light following the meteoric stars, were visible for some seconds; those streaks would cut and twist up like serpents writhing. The appearance was beautiful, grand and sublime beyond description; as though all the artillery and fire works of eternity were set in motion to enchant and entertain the Saints, and terrify and awe the sinners on the earth. Beautiful and terrific as was the scenery, which might be compared to the falling figs or fruit when the tree is shaken by a mighty wind." (Times and Seasons, 6[9]:898)
Stephens wrote: "During the fall of 1833 occurred a natural phenomenon of a most wonderful character. This was on the night of the 13th of November. It was what was known as the 'meteoric shower' or the ‘falling of the stars’. It was witnessed with amazement and astonishment throughout the entire limits of the United States." (History of the United States, 455; HC, 1:440)
Agnes Clerke wrote: "On the night of November 12-13, 1833, a tempest of falling stars broke over the Earth. The sky was scored in every direction with shining tracks and illuminated with majestic fireballs. At Boston, the frequency of meteors was estimated to be about half that of flakes of snow in an average snowstorm. Their numbers ...were quite beyond counting; but as it waned, a reckoning was attempted, from which it was computed, on the basis of that much-diminished rate, that 240,000 must have been visible during the nine hours they continued to fall." (Victorian Astronomy Writer)
Astronomers have verified this phenomenon as a Leonid (named
for its radiant being near the constellation Leo) meteor "storm".
A meteor (shooting star) is a particle from space, usually derived
from a comet, that ranges in size from a sand grain to a pea,
and appears when it enters Earth's atmosphere at speeds over 158,000
mph and burns up. Trains are persistent streaks of glowing dust
left in the wake of these disintegrating meteors and can last
from several seconds to several minutes. Every November, the Earth
crosses the comet Tempel-Tuttle’s meteor stream, resulting
in a Leonid shower of about 15 meteors/hour. Tempel-Tuttle spends
most of its time far away in the outer solar system, near Saturn
and Uranus, but makes an elliptical orbit around the sun every
33 years. When the comet, which is composed of ice and dust, approaches
the sun the ice melts due to solar heating and dust is released.
This dust-debris forms a thin elongated meteor stream measuring
several hundred million km long, but only 35,000 km wide. In the
years AD 902, 1799, 1833, and 1966, when the Earth passed through
Tempel-Tuttle’s fresh meteor streams, there were exceptional
Leonid "storms" of up to 150,000 meteors/hour.