American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1857-04-04
The Come. OF J.nc la,l,, 1857.

A European journal lately announced
as the p, reelection of German astrono.
mer, the destruction of the world by a
comet on the 18th of June next This
ridiculous news spread over European
was recently the universal topic Of con-
versation in every class Of society. 1t
now appears that the prophet of evil is
Liege almanac maker, named Mat.
thew Lensburg. All the observatories
are silent, and they are silent. says the
French paper La Presse, because they
have the gertrude that there exists no
comet menacing the earth and destined
to strike it on the 18th Of Juno. The
same paper says:
"Never, certainly, has any astrono-
NOR thought ofmaking it cause Of a
larm TO observation-disclosures of our globe
The inclination of its orbit on the eclip-
tic is more than 80 degrees it is then
Tar from following the same track as the
earth. Moreover many astronomers
Mr.. Hind among o,hers-have recent
y traced the ephemerides of the comet
they could then tell us exactly at what
point of space, and at what distance
from the earth. this comet ought to be
found on the 18th Of June. 1857. But
to ask them such questions would be to
give an air of seriousness to ridiculous
prediction. With respect to the ques.
ton SO often discussed as to the possibil.
ity OF conclusion between a comet
| aud the earth we cannot do better than
to quote from " L'Astronomonie Popu.
laire' of Arago, which gives all that eau
with reason be advanced on the subject.
Aragohas calculated the chances, which
exist Of comet against the earth in con.
cussion with the nucleus of the comet
and that which would result from con.
tact with the fluid mass which surrounds
or follows it, commonly known as the
tail.
"For shock by the nucleus of COM
ct, says Arago, which might destroy The
earth. we have found one likely chance
for 2Sl,000,000 of unlikely chances
For contact with the tail of comet
the chances are 10 or 90 in 2Sl, 900, 900.
Admitting for a moment that The nue.
leus of comets striking the earth would
annihilate the human species, the dan
ger OF death which would result to each
individual from the unknowing comet
would be exactly equal to the chances
he would run if in an urn he had but
one white ball in total of 2Sl 900 900
| balls, and his condemnation to death
would be the inevitable consequence of
his drawing the white ball at the first
! draw. Every man who makes use Of
his senses must laugh at danger SO
| remote.
Although comets occupy an immense
space in the heavens, surprising mill
lions of leagues. yet by reason of alb :
sence OF atmospheric in those regions,
permitting fluids to be infinitely rarified
the matter of these bodies is reduced 10
the most feeble proportions. Laplace
says on this suhject-"Although the di.
mensions of the tails Of comets be nv.
RAIDS of miles, yet they do not sensibly
affect the light of The stars seen through
them. They are, then. of an extreme
rarity, and their mass is probably infe-
tior to that of tho smallest mountains on
the earth. They cannot then, BY their
contact produce any sensible effect and
it is probable they have treqenlly en-,
veloPod the earth without being perceiy-
ed" 1t is this which explains how ma
ny comets have passed in proximity to
certain planets without producing the
least physical influence. 1870
Demore tells us that tho comet 1910
passed between Jupiter and his satellites
without causing any sensible perturba
ton. Thus the comets even 10 the as =
lronomers are but objects of curiosity.
J Sir. John HerschelI goes till further
and says III express terms that 1.-THE tail
of large comet, as far we can rorm
any idea of it, is composed of a few
pounds of matter, and perhaps only a
few ounces" What have we then to
fear from the shock from body Of a
mass so Insignificant? We will add, in
conclusion, that M. Babinet, one of the
greatest authorities of the age in physic.
al astronomy, has gone so far as TO say,
"the earth, in coming into collision with
comet, would be no more affected i'm
its stability than would railway train
coming in contact with fly"