The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1857-07-03
I,hes comet.

: ftSy sxhe Comet. s5E. 8 ts-;ss
Tie following commuh iSat iofisto fhe 5Balti-
more American, will provo quite Interesting. j
5justsa this time when the people are so n,ucf,
excited In star gasing: 80 y
TO THE EDrrons, OF TnE BAIriMonE AMR... ..
'---sAs we are now on the times. when, as run,or
goes, our sublunary ORB Is ~ encounter fright
'fal :oomet, it may not be amiss 70 narrate
some littlsof theilistpry of those celest1f viz:
tiers, and to count the probable chances for Ind
against the .apprehended collision.
. The orbits Of I29 comets have been deter
mined, and of this number the successive re-.
turn of only has been verified by observa-
ton. These are what are known as Halley's,
whose period is about 75a years; Encke'si 81
years; and Dielas', years months.
haileys comet received its appellation after
It's visit in 1882, when that eminent astrono-
mer applied to its movements the calculations
Of Tie immortal Newton, and predicted its re-.
turn IN 1853, which was subsequently confirm.
ed by observation. This comet again returned
in 1886, and its next visit may be looked for
by those who may be alive in" 1911. Tliis,is
the comet of 1869 which the Pope exercised
in connection with the infilel Turks.
Enckes comet was not recognized as period.
ic till 1919, though previously observed in
l7s5-05 and 1901, &c. It returned in 1922
1928 and '92.
Bielas was observed in 1926 and is identi-
fled with comets of 1772-S9-95 and 1906, &C..
Lexell's comet of ITO, calculated for O peri.
cd of 81 years, has not been since seen, nor had
it been previously observed.
so& a.
1850. and is believed to bo the same with that
of which, historians make mention in l1O8,
spoken Of by the Byzantine writer's in 531,
appeared in September of the-ycar of C:rsar's 9
ssassination, 43 B. c., and viii be found by tle
the Hebrew text, and the Septuagint to hnve
been near the earth at theshpe. OF the general
deluge. This comet known as tho "Flood Com
ct" also will probably appear about the year
1925.
1t will thus be seen that the most distinguish
: ed of these visiters are not expelled soon, and
of the others, the times two only are known.
Encke's and Bielas, the latter will probably
return to its pcrihelion about 1853. The
former completes its circuit IN about every
/ three years.
As comets mover in orbits which, form ex:
tnemely elongated ellipses and in all imagi
naSle: directions. traversng almost every, part
of The solar system. returning from the iarthest
verge and penetrating even within tie orbit
of Mercury, it is not impossible that comet
aany come in contact with thea EARTH In a
calcufatiOnby Arnso, of the probabilities Of q
collision between the earth and comet Of one
quarter tho carth's magnitude, the chances of!
escape are ns 2sl,0O0,0OO to l. admitting
them for a moment, he says THAT the comets,
which may strike the earth with their NUCLEI
would annihilatc the whole human race, then
the danger of death to each individual, result
ing from the appearance Of an unknown com.
ct would be exactly equal to the risk he would
run If in an urn there was only one s:nQlH
white ball of a total number of 2sl, 600, 900
balls, and that his condemnation to death
would be the inevitable consequence of the
white ball being produced at tha first drawing"
In l77O and in 1882 rs now, an apprehension
of collision with a comet predhoed consider
able alarm in Europe. In olden times comets
were regarded as preternatural appearances,
"brandishing their crystal tresses in tho sky,".
importing change of times and States" but are
now, by the "infallible science" discovered to
be component parts of the solar system and
members Of that harmonious choir which chants
the music of tho spheres. M.
Baltimore, June o, 1857