Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-09-02
For the Intelligencer.
Tho Comet.

H.,
..dentifed with any previous comet" As this
| oor,es from the seat of ''THE NATIONAL OBsERyA-
rorv,,, it may be considered as official. Whence
then this "vapour wandering near the Sum-
Is it some visitor to our system, whose blazing
train has hitherto escaped the eye of science-up-
on which Astronomers have never looked before?
Thousands of these eccentric OrbS pervade our
system, pursuing their rapid way, confined to no
particular plain, and unregulated by the general
course Of the planets.
Before the NEwroNrAN discovery of the laws
of Gravitation, comets were looked upon as anom-
alouS bodies, the motions of which could not be
demonstrated. They were regarded as MeteoIs,
kndled into light by contact with the EaTth'S at
mosphere, and consumed and lost forever. 9th
e1s supposed them 10 be bodies revolving about
the moon, and appearing at long and remote PEE
RODS. When, however, NEWTON demonstrated,
under the new law which he had discovered, that
revolving planet might describe either of the
four curves the circle, eipse, pdrdbola, or hyper
lola, it was found that even the eccentric move
ments of the comets, could be brought under Par
aJolic, or Hyperbolic form, The Sun occupying the
focus of the curve. According TO this theory
comet ain It's periheliOn passage, or nearest APP
proach to the Sun, would shine with great bnL-
liancy and in moving to its apheiion, or greatest
distance from the Sun, gradually fade from the
sight.
| This was NEwrox's theory-and he was ena-
bled to test it in 1850. brilliant comet made its
appearance that year-it came rushing down from
space, Immediately above the Ecleptic, increasing
in velocity as it approached the Sun; it seemed at
one period, as though it would rush into that Lu-
minary, 1t moved with the velocity OF million
of miles an hom-it performed its revolution, and
in its recession from the Sun, threw out an im-
mense train of light, extending to the astonishing
distance of 1, 1000, OO0, 900 of miles.
NEWTON attempted to apply his theory, TIE po-
sitions OF the comet were marked, and 1t was
found that its orbit was, as near as could be de-
termined with imperfect instruments, a PTab0Hc
cwue Its great eCcentrcity, and It's vast period
of nearly six hundred years, rendered the expert
lnent unsatisfactory. HALEY, an English AStron'
omer, who studied with great care, the theory OF
Newton, demonstrated its accuracy as salts
! fac tory aS the nature OF the calculations =
would admit. HALLEY's investigations were
MAZE with comet which appeared in 1852 he
concluded from the nature of lis orbit, that its pc
riodic time was about Seventy-fve yearS-he was
| from an attentive examination Of historical tables
of comets, enabled to trace it back some hum
dreds Of years. 1t correspondent with the comets
seen before the Christi9n Era, and those OF a. D.
248-324 and 397-in the year 1905 lis appeal
ance was frightful, its immense tail was curved
in the form of a scythe.
| In l456it spread CONSERVATION throughout Eu-
rope, So much so that the Pope issued n form Of
l.. ~ ,n,,,,
1t appeared in 1881, and again in l607-with these
facts before him, and satisfied OF the correctness
OF his calculations, HALEY boldly predicted that
his comet would appear again in 1853, OF the be-
ginning Of 1859. Knowing that he would be in
his grave and not see It's face when it did appear;
this distinguished Philosopher, only desired pos
terity to remember if his prediction proved true,
that it was first made by an Englishman.
As the period approached for the verilcation Of
the prediction, the deepest interest was manifest
ed by the scientific world. Clairaut and LqiGndc
computed the Perturbations of this comet for two
revolutions; and it was announced by these men
of labor, in the cause of science, that it would
be delayed one hundred days by the influence of
Saturn, and FIVE hundred days by the influence OF
Jupiter. They calculated' its, Periheleon passage
IOI tHe lOIH Vi ipIIJ 1919 SLdtlIS ILdI Tic 4SSui
might be inaccurate some thirty days, in conse
quence of having neglected to estimate some small
perturbati ons.
In December, 1T58, (HALLEY's predicted time,)
the comet was seen. And a memorial to the
distinguished Englshman 1t received his name.
From 1859 to 1885, great changes had taken
place, instruments were more accurate, and cal
culations more exact; NJ. Dumouchel, director of
the Observatory of the Roman College-on the
| 9Th of August, 1885, directed his class to the
point where the comet should appear according to
calculation, and there was the old piSitor, just
beginning to come into sight--it was a small
streak of light just bursting from the profound
depths ofspace. This triumph of science
which may be said to have added new member 10
our system.
In 1918, comet was discovered by POnS, this is
the one known as Encke'S, this by calculation was
identified with the comets of 1871 and 1795-its
orbit is an elLpsc Of small dimensions, and IFS Pc
riodc revelation about three years. In 1905 Prof.
Gauss, in computing the elements Of comets for
that year, found one which he concluded complet-
ed its revolution in six years. This comet was lost
sight of until 1926, when NJ. Bieiq discovered the
same comet in its Perihelion passage. 1t performs
its revolution about the sun in an eILpSe, its Pc
Rod six and three quarter years.
These, and the comets mentioned in my former
paper are those with which astronomers are most
familiar The present comet does not, as far as
can discover, belong to this list, and though the
relative position of the earth and the comet does
effect the appearance of the utter, yet l am not
sure that it can be used as an argument to prove
that the DreSent cOmet is BipI1' g. since in 1870 II
passed through the earh's orbit, and still remain
ed invisible 10 the naked eye The orbits of COMETS
though eccentric, are fixed; they are affected by
peGturbations, the planets are, but as far sci
ence has yet made acquainted with the laws Of
cometary motion, have no reason TO suppose
that they change their orbits any than Jupiter