New-York daily tribune., 1858-10-14
PUBLIC MEETINGS
LECTURE ON THE COMET

NGwiihsandirg tie rain, quite arye spS;...
senibled last evening at Uaion Caapel 60.
Broadway and Thirty.rrth street. 70 r..s,
MArrI>os's lecture upon the Come, IT, p...-N
said that Le Thought lie ekbfaiel visitor wbs1 \.
horored IL with his presence for some tim a.,
not 'Ned the attention Which Il d..erv,i .
then gave snnIt DESCRIPTION 4 th. .is, -. a'
scribrg the motion. of the difer,p, 49, >
resl oc.ive size TIER speed rsnsin- b. =, 80
ll0,CC0 miles per hOur, &c. Comets aAo hsii,.'a
the solar system, though thoy are errac,ie 81 =
lar. hayirg very eccentric ORBITS devistir, 4, ~
d. Crsc from the circular form of the orI;,s = ~
planets. Twcuty-tOur comets g. IN Opposite a.. ~
lions to tie course of the planets and theg , 4'
every point of tie c0upf $, In enr~ly iii rsrt ~.
from tie plaI-is They also vary inricusel, a. -. -.
appr, ach ana recede from the sun crouin, -
larger IN SIZE and length of tail as they suero,S ~
SUM- Al different times, also, the sane come, 4, ~
same plrco varies exceedingly IN appearance a, ~
80 that It's identity only be ascertai1ed by -
ING tie time Of lis periodical visit. Al ri,.',
sr,ed. Il would take us il.Oo0 years "A -
tie most distant planet of our system, ", H,E-'
comet which j. "a home comet, and kesps -
us, is 500 C00 900 miles farther on. Hsaey, cons
las period If only - years, while some Shtn ~.
period Of 500 year, going propor'ioaAS.e dsae.
away distance scarcely 20 be- imagined. TLeeo-.,
we now zee was crst discovered by Dona, AZ n.
ence on the 3d Of June hast: il has not been ssx,l
as ever having been seen on the earth before ,,,s
il is most similar 20 one that made It's appesrAsc.r
wears h. C.. making period of over 1909 VA,
The comet cannot be sulid body in all It's ex.et, -
Is immeufe weight voU.t So attract the Other pA,,,
in a manner that would be Immediately iei. bxs
stars can be seen through tit is said ,hey ea
seen even through the nucleus or center. rhey,-
therefore no solid, but reflect ligh' from the !,
Newtop's theory was tha. they were bodies ot va,
but tle'prOicssor considered this theory ansatsaer
He suggested that the substance II the comet nr-
be so I ghi tha; the rays II lgh, might have g.
enough 10 drive the tai backward: bn probabbtx
portion was lighter and not attracted 50 strzA
The comet was moving az the rate Of |, > 0,0ol st
per hour or = 500 miles per minute, and W miles =
second. In orler Ia conceive Of such speed We as
remember that there is probably % atmosphere hr
space where the bodies reyo.'c, conseqaeBiyN~
sisispce. The curvature of the lai the Pnd,ss,
CHARGED To the fact of unequal attraction Htx
that the effect upon us Of collision With CO.
should such a thing take place, woni be sonsss!
Ike the eject upOu the oysters and lobsiers a y
Bav. should a cloud by some means tike NE srs
Another pecularity il that the cumets "b%k cE'
for when they leave, the tail appears 70 2 In
most. From SOM appearances, il woui sss
that the orbit Of tlis comet is parabobe orye. I
that il the case it will never again be seen by DE
habtarts Of the earth. What is the object ci ihs
comets or what purpose they serve, has never hea
clearly asceriained though it has been thought ua
they went from one solar sysiem TO another, bk1
them in some way TO each other.
The lecture wa~ illustrated with numerous mapsr
diagrams. yews of different comets, &C. On seecEi
of the unfavorable weather by which many Esre tF
at home the lecture will BE- repeated on Friday nsA