The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1858-10-14
Comets.

at tangent, and knock it into the condi-
ton of a tempest-struck hulk. The public
press of Europe aud America presented
an immense spread ofpaper on the subject,
and there was convulsion time of it gen.
ally. TN year 1857 passed away, how
ever, without the expected wsnderer of
the skies making bis appearance; and as
trouomers and the public settled down in
to the dull routine of common regulari-
ties, not anticipating any brilliant comet
for some tune to come. We have all been
most agreeably disappointed. For some
weeks past We have been enjoying night
ly one of the most beautiful sights that
ever appeared 10 the starry dome.
On the second of June last, an Italian
astronomer named Donati discovered the
present comet approaching slowl y toward
the sun, in northwesterly direction, and
it has been increasing in brightness-as
all comets do-as it draws nearer old Sol.
No fears are excited by its presence, it is
gorgeous beyond language to describe,
and is bebeld only with thrill of admi-
ration. Like streaming torch Of silve-
~ light extending fifteen millions Of miles
in length through the heavens, it bangs
evening after evening gracefully over the
northwest sky. Its head resembles
ring, with bright nucleus 10 the middle,
or something like an illuminated globe,
with its intense fame in the centre. The
diameter of this ring, as measured BY
Prof. Mitchell, of Cincinnati, is $4,000
miles. 1t has been approaching the path
of our plannet, with the apparent inten-
tion of giving US friendly brush on the
date of this number of the SCIENTIFIC
AMERICAN, it will have attained to its
maximum brlliancy 1t approaches the
sun with its tail flashing behind it. and
at certain distance from the great lumi-
nary, it will suddenly turn round to the
other side and back ont of our planetary
system in contrary direction to that by
which it entered. In 1643 a comet ap.
peared far less prighs than the present
one, but its tail was recoDed to be ITO
million miles in length. When it wheel
ed round the sun, it moved thraugh its
curved path with the velocity of the light
ning's fash. To two short hours its i'm.
mense tail swept through range of no
less than 3,740 millions of miles. From
the flight of objects on earth, it is impos.
sible to form comparative idea of the
awful velocities of comets and other hea-
veDly bodies.
OF the composition of comets, the most
learned are ignorant. They must be CON-
posed of some matter more subtle than
anything with which We are acquainted
on earth. Stars are clearly visible through
the comets tail, and it possesses little, if
any, gravity. This is deduced from
large comet which appeared in 1899, and
got entangled among the satellites of Ju-
piter. 1t was there arrested for several
weeks, yet its attractive force upon the
satellites was SO limited as not to produce
the slightest effect upon their moveme nts.
In ancient times comets were believed
to be prognosticators of dire events. One
appeared when Julius Caesar was assas-
sinated; another when Constantinople
was taken by the Turks; one during the
terrible prosecutions in the reign of
Charles the Fifth; and another in 1911,
when all Europe was deluged with war
and bloodshed; but no intelligent person
has any supers.itous dread of their pres
euce in this age. From what is known
of the Insignificant effect of the comet of
1893, it is reasonable to infer that were
a comet to come in collision With our plan
ct, it would produce no greater effect than
the blast of bellows upon the Rocky
Mountains. Some men, however, of pro.
found requirements, have expressed their
belief that our globe at one period was
struck by GOMEZ, ,and that in consequence
of such collision it was made to rotate
on different axis from that which it
once had. NJ. Arago. the eminent French
astronomer, however, denied that such
result bad ever taken place, and be foun-
ded his deductions upon the fact, that the
earth now turned on q principal aGiS,
whereas had it been SO struck, it would
have turnei on different axis, one not
passing through the poles of an oblate
spheriod. All the planets revolve round
the sun in one direction, but comets en-
ter our system in every direction, aud
completely battle the reasoning of philos.
ophers to account for their actions. 1t is
also unknown whether they are selflumi
nous, or shine with a borrowed lustre.-
Sir Isaac Newton believed they were fee-
ders to the sun. and that they supplied
that luminary with the matter, which ac-
cording to his corpuscular theory of light,
the sun was continually projecting into
space.
The present comet is stranger to the
living inhabitants Of the earth; it may be
the same as that which was witnessed
ages ago. when our painted progenitors
went forth to battle against the iron le-
gions of Rome, but this is mere conjec-
ture. 1t will soon depart from our Wis
ion to wander once more through the vast
solitudes of unknown space, never per-
haps, to witt our sytem again. Who can
tell but it may yet become wreck among