Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1858-10-27
While it is highly probable that Comets, even

in orbits very elIptlcal. Planets have tho sun
near the center of their orbits,-Comets are
very excentrc and have the Sun near the end OF
their orbits. Planets in revolving around the
Sun, move from West to East; they are con-
fined within the limits, and move through the
signs of the Zodiac-Comets come from and
move towards all points Of the compass. They
come up from the vast abyss below the eclptic:
they come down from the Zenith of the uni
verse, double their perihelion about the Sun,
and are gone upon their long and often un-
known journies.
There is also prodigious variation in the We
locity Of some Comets, (and considerable-in all
Of them) in different parts of their orbits.
When at their aphe,ion, or farthest point from
the Sun, their motion is comparatively slow /;
when at their psrihelion, or nearest point, they
60 with almost inconceivable swiftness; some
Us fast as u million of miles an hour. The
Comet of 1913 moved with amazing velocity,
and almost grazcd the surface of the Sun, ap-
preaching nearer to it than any other on record.
We might very naturally suppose that it was
exposed to degree of heat exceedingly intense
when so near the Sun, but the laws Of both
Light aud Heat are far from being perfectly
understood, and the approach or recession of a
body to or from the Sun may not maketso great
difference in this respect as we imagine. This
was the Comet cotemporary with the Nlillerite
excitement land was probably the cause ofnolittle
pseudo piety in some whose chief motive to do
right was an apprehension Of impending judg-
ment This visitor is expected again in 1865.
| Another feature pertaining to Comets is the
great disparity in the extent Of their orbits and
consequently IN their periodic times. Euche's
Comet, which is said to be now visible, revolves
with the orbit of Jupiter, and comes once in
little over three and half years.
Bcila's Comet, which think is due this year,
comes every six and a half years. These have
very little if any tails attached
Ialleys Comet goes 3,4O0,000,000 of miles
away from tue Sun; long, long way beyond
the most remote known planet in the Solar
System and requires scventy-six years to travel
once around its prescribed path. And yet this
is called Comet of short period. There are
Others which take hundreds, nay thousands Of
wears to perform one revolution. But We are
still confined to the Solar System. We have
not yet reached the starry heavens,-the stel-
lar system which is sketched upon the canvass
IF snocn nut onficiDotinu
Comets are generally composed Of three parts,
viz: the aucleus, resembling in appearance
star or planet,-a hairy like envelope from
which it derives its name,-and a brilliant APP
pendage, streaming away against the sky called
tile mu There is however no law Of uniformi-
ty in these particulars. Some Comets have no
apprecable nucleus, some have no tails, while
others have several, that of l744 had six,
which appeared and disappeared in few days.
The Comet of 1923 had two tails, one extend
ing towards, and the other flowing away from
tue Sun. Generally the tail of a Comet is in
direction opposite to the Sun,-following the
Comet as it approaches the Sun, and going be-
fore it as it recedcs.
A VARIETY of causes have been assigned for
these caudal appcndages, but they all amount
to the mcrest conjecture Kepler imagined
them to be the atmosphere Of the Comet driven
off by the impulse of the SUMS rays. Sir Isaac
Newton conjectured that they were thin vapor
arising from the heated nucleus. DR.. Hamilton
thought they were streams of electricity; while
Sir John Herschel contended that they were
something in the nature Of smoke, fog, or
cloud. These names embrace the highest au'
thority in astronomical science, and if with
them the subject was involved in such uncer-
tainty, mere amateur may be excused for not
venturing an opinion at all.
These strange appearances, have always been
spectres of terror and alarm, and they continue
to be such to the "great majority" In l45G
an appearance of Halley's Comet threw all Eu-
rope into CONSERVATION. The Turk at that time
bad crossed the IIellespont and threatened to
plant the crescent in the land of the Church,"
and to avert the danger, to the Ave Maria
was added, Lord save us from the Devil, the
Turk and the Comet" and once day these OBJ
noxous customers were formally excomnlunica-
ted Even during the past year in enlightened
Protestant America there was no small amount
of excitement about Comet that was coming
to play destruction with our guilty old planet.
Doubtless we deserved it, and the knowledge Of
this probably increased, if it did not originate
the fear. During the ferment, an intimate ac-
quaintance residing near me, and the Principal
of our Male Academy, moved rather by his
love of science than participation in the ground
less apprehension, addressed a letter to Prof
Mitchell of the Cincinnati observatory, and re-
ceved for answer that "no Comet was eX-
pected."
We may probably attribute much Of the un-
easiness about danger from Comets to the fact
that they are supposed to be lawless wanderers,
ranging without control though the heavens
and as likely as not to come in contact with
any of the planets, the earth not excepted.
But it is we'll ascertained that they are subject
to laws of notion and move in prescribed or
bits as other Lo'lies do, directed by lin whose
Immanence confines all things to Himself and
whose Transcendence keeps every thing at its
proper distance. These terms will perhaps not
he appreciated by some Of your readers. Your
correspondent claims no originality in the use
of them, but has adopted them from another,