The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-10-10
THE DONATE COMET.
hs Appearance through street Telescope
siarercc worth or sight OF the Celestial
Stranser-The Comstary System Popular
lyeE for the Curious.

comet last evening TO have reached s cuinuuatnB
point and its tail to have attained its greatest length
The heavy looking cumbrous clouds which almost over
s~eaf the sky and OF which there strong reserve
the horizon, rather unavorabe for as
economical obsc vations generally, and for examination
OF the comet in particular AZ least thought the owner
Of the big telescope which occupies every night the
most CONSPICUOUS station the eastern side Of the
Park and which has reapcd quite pecunary harvest
Gc that since the comet made its appear
But fortune after all proved favorable the couda
Segnn To clear away the night on, and by seven
O'Clock the prospect bright could be desired
rerc amid bright constellation OF stars the most pro-
object among them all the comet with its tail
sngtheuei out to its greatest extent, and becoming
and broader reached its extremity till its dim
anc uncertain light faded away until it was lost in the
tarkness 1t was in fact almost impossible to see the
end Oft FOR there distincly defined line by which
could marked by the eye by the street tee-
scope but the astronomers doubtless know all about il,
hey have fixed s exact length TO a nicely.
F, Notwithstanding the announcement that the comet
would attained greatest dimensions last evening,
ihc-e very few around the big telescope, and those
ss did no. appear be astronomcally inclined But if
The did not draw large amount Of custom those
Who Paid their sixpeuces had the full value Of their money
b. ue longer observations which they were enabled
~ ency Thee about seven persons altogether
assembled around tie instrument and OF these three of
whom .he writer one paid the required amount for
Of the and much OF its tail IS they could
ssu tarout tie glass.
"WLut is the Price ?' asked, We we're about TO
ss stand the small step ladder which places you
" tnin reach OF L lower end Of the telescope.
"sx cens,o the reTy, aud it was certainly cheap
enough
"Yen can you see the whole comet7"
"no the glass only takes in the head-you only see
portion on the tail"
Tnus informed, mounted the little step ladder and
placing right eye 70 the glass, the nucleus OF
tie comet which looked ike frtymenary part Of the
en- but with as bri yhtress considerably diminished.
fhs nucleus wa surrounded with still paler
hShi which seemed 10 the eye a dim reelection
thrown out by Itself. only portion OF the
visible, ard very small portion, but the
could be il ips,amens hy raising the end of the
telescope lcaI H. yourself The view thus Afforded
rah.r uns factory and the impression left the minds
tLat the comet is hambug .ar sight
.-ough street telescope concerned But it is worth
ssxIerco after al; and E the charge quarter
Nouil - profitable investment. The fool OF dim light
raa sttcarls cut from tie nucleus and which the
L looks brighter than the NAKED eye. 10 part u the
shines with the brightness cl The stars of the arst
magnitude nor can ii DC properly said have an b--
Esncy The light Of the nucleus is, ~ have said,
sr.rer than that e the moon, but it is of that
searactcr--ia.e and cold. The was, perhaps,
more distinctly marked than any night since
tts hrst appca Mtcr all, however, We are
sorEedy OF the op MON tha It's appoa,a ance 10 the
rn.dad vision is Gar preferable 70 the Wow obtained OF
through the telescope. With the naked eye you tke
Whole dimensions while the glass gives II TO you in
so1e eight aiments, OF which one takes N
l.v .d the t. making NJ the total. II has been
suggested a rather serious anomaly that although
tie comet rejoccs tail, .hat oauda appendaec las
bIcn acLed 70 tho dog star
rv- the most interesting scientific details which
yss~oss The subject of the comet, particularly
ifi tel 10 two ofour stronomersHcssra. Mitchell aud
bad.
", arc tcd ia celestial latitude and longitude with pro
son distance from the earth AMI lengh Of Is tai al
though of oGr Journals have, uefcrt-less. ycuFcd
uynu sa, ncnts exhibited engraved maps which,
lhis pGrt of he E'ohe utterly worthless But Of h
genera OF these visitors ani the opinions
xrli the learned day entertain ot them We are
ss quite IN The dark. 4 condensation Of the latest spcu
ors On his subject for the qualification d the readers
of sRsLp, may, therefore he interesting II this mo
n.rt.
TIE conritu.on cf comet when entire consists a The
k.i ,ocus tic envelope rings ant tac tail
s.rc authorities distinction between sha rings
ard t,e coma. The admirable description given
he poscut comet by Professor Mitchell. confirms this
ssranscmcnt ~ ncariy cicrlas neouious or Il,
rlInous crvcopc, of diameter Of IL 900 milcsanost
, times tbat the npoo. W. ,an 'rarne pr
h,,a what i ovcrpoverinr spectacle leminatcd orb
oT sr, Dimensions Tho Of the moon voald pre-
o., a. Dor as'onishcd eyes; and whlt thr cmptIuis
s:tic rhab.tarts of thc distant planets mus bc Il mia
tcd toy are when ttssc trrc visitors blaze cca'y in
cir ~ ncghbohood feNclis comet c,lol altar
,rssa astronomer, who maio il his particular study
ard b ea-a' attentive observer ihongh T.
,soovcsy 4 rrerchman u tie name o. Messcr was
mmtnH and ft.tur rf.sN
Iutar a. 70 alter ~ path aud 'or two elrticlt
revolutions longer its vicinity than Il o,hcrwiso would
have faae Nor were the nh1titautr ~ planet
Lyond tho chance OF similar spectacle when, on tic LIT
tg July, l750, Ills comet only distant 500 semi dl
NE, rs or Tie earth about tns the distance - the
rsoon Encke's comet crosses The tefrcsnl ofbj sky
tiGIoS a century, and mo day aicfd the work a
terrific though magnificent right n Ills description. 81
lc tue nature of comc,c bodies many differing opiaon
arc entertained Sir John Hcrscnc regards them
or ,hs vapor carbo n rejecting solar rays from their
irscrp as Ven as their external parts This theory
which was absolutely necessary 10 explain he visible
thcEonef was proved b. correct hy the experiments
cthc astronomer Arago, with the poarscopc during the
yiFi 0f Eacy IN 1855 u \ curious fact that lie
discovery Of Naus called The polarity polarization Of
HIGHT las been made available astronomy determine
whether heavenly body shines VITA inherent wit.
borrow q light This principle applied 10 comets,
and thrs determined Ny Arago hnt they sh1nc by
light And Sc, this vapor matter also o7 it
resolves in regular orbits, obcymg the laws Of attraction
md ~ Ike the solid themselves pu, though
having this anunto tof dcnsy j. les than thai Of sua.
rcr cloud the latter viii obscure the brightest stars:
while on the contrary stars q inferior magnitude
have boca distinctly through both The Nucleus AMI
the tai 81 ooets Professor Mtchcl, Of Cincinnati men.
,cns that he has the fsniot ieesccpc stars snnc
with undlnirsic brightness through the vast ncbiou
matter composing the tail of the present comet Similar
observations havc also been made personally ty Sir john
ncrschcl, Oilers sircvc, Piazz Bossc and others o.
the Th November, lScs, srcve a star Of only the
eleventh magnitude through the OF EncLe; aud sir
John lorscicl in 1928 through the head OF
cluster Of of the sixteenth magnitude W. must