Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1853-09-14
From the Richmond Times.
Comets.

Heavens few days ago, and which still contin
ues tossflame in the forehead the evening sky
lis attracting much attention among scientific men
Like third-rate Pacha lit flourishes only one tail
but that one is of respectable dimensions, and at
tfords ample scope. we imagine, for Astronomical
Investigations. Astronomers are busily engaged
in studying the phrases and motions fthe majes
tic stranger, and it is not improbable that their OBJ
Iseryations will lead to mole satisfactory knowl
edge than we now possess of the nature and func-
tion of this class of bodies. Our information on
this score is lamenably imperfect and scanty mot
wthstanding the diligent and laborious researches
of Newton, HALEY, and Herschell.
In respect to the structure OF comets, Sir John
Hersehel the highest living authority on the sub
ject, is of the opinion that they consist Of some
thing in the nature of smoke fog or cloud, sus-
pended in transparent atmosphere. Wherever
powerful telescopes have been turned on these bod
les they have not failed to dispel the idea which
attributes TO them sohdity
The magnificent appendage, known as the tail,
always extends in direction opposite to that In
which the sun is situated. and is no doubt produc-
ed by the action of the solar rays in the body of a
comet. The tail of the great comet of 1850, imme-
diatey after the passage of that point Of IFS orbit
nearest the sun, was found by. Newton to be Co.
100000 miles in length and to have occupied on
ly two DAYS in its emission from the comets body.
Its greatest length amounted to .0O0,O ,OOO miles,
and covered ninety degrees of the heavens. The
tail of the comet of 1867 extended AZ 600, 600 of
miles, and that of the great comet of 1911, lCS,.
100000 of miles. Aristotle relates that the tail
of the comet which appeared in his time, 81
years before Christ, covered third of the hemis-
phere, and that of the year 1913, is said to have
been attended by train of no less than lO4 de-
grees in length. And yet, strange to say, these
immense vaporous masses are supposed to contain
only very few ounces Of matter. The tail how
ever, is by no means an invariable attribute of
comets. Many of the brightest have been observ-
ed to have short tails, and few have been alto
gether wanting in the caudal appendage. Those
of 1885, 1868, 1865 and 1852 presented no ap-
pearance of a tall On the other hand, however,
some of these bodies are provided with many trains
of light. That of l744 had no less than six spread
out like an immense fan.
The motions of comets are extremely irregular.
Some move very slowly, others with great rapidl-
ty. and the same comet will move at very dlf-
ferent rate of velocity indifferent parts of its
course Some pursue straight and othersa tortuous
path. 1t is for the most part, after passing the
sum- that their tails attain the greatest length, and
as they recede from that luminary, these append
ages gradually diminish in volume and finally dis
appear.
The number of comets, whose advent to our
system has been recorded, amount probably to sew
eral hundreds, but there are only four or flve
which are known certainly to return, and whose
periods of revolution have been accurately calcula-
ted. But there are many great comets noticed In
history which are conjectured with large degree
of probability to return periodically. Thus, Sir
John Herschell thinks the comet of 1850, whose
period is estimated at 557 years, is identical with
that which was observed at Constantinope in the
wear 10Y; with that of the year SIS which was
seen at MONDAY close to the sum- with that of As,
before Christ, which appearing shortly after the
death of Julius Cazar, was declared by the poets
to be the soul of that hero taking its place in the
skies.
The comet of 1856. which was supposed by
some to have frightened Charles V. into the abdi-
cation of his throne, is believed to be the same
with that of 1864 and 975. Perhaps this is the
same comet now visible in the sky. It is true
that the last period Of revolution does not cores
pond strictly with either Of the former ones, but
we know that such differences may be easily ac-
counted for by what astronomers call planets and
perturbations.
What part these strange and mysterious lumin-
aries perform in the economy of the universe, re-
mains wholly unknown, there being no theory on
the subject that possesses even the shadow Of
plausibility. Some have conjectured that the
junction Of these eccentric wanderers of the 'unut-
terable deep,"i to dffuse through the regions of
remote space the heat which they borrow from the
Sun, an idea which We find very POLITICALLY ex-
pressed by Tom Moore:
Their sole employ to pray and shine;
To light their censers at the Sun,
And cast their fires towards the shrine
OF Him in Heaven the Eternal One."
But Moore's theory is not quite scientific enough
for such philosophers as Herschel, Brewster, Ar
ago, Humboldt, sc. These explorers Of the fields
Of air acknowledge their present inability to as,
sign any office to the comet, and trust to future
investigations and discoveries for solution of the
enigma.
Women AND LADIEs.-In the days of our IA
thers. there were such things to be met with as
men and women-but now they are all gone, and
l'. nc opd ladiac nr