The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-09-05
Identity of Comets and MeteOrs.

Identity of Comets and MeteOrs.
From the Providence Journal.
Sir William Thompson, the new Presi.
dent of the British Association for the
Advancement Of Science, in his inaugu-
raj address at the recent annual meeting
Of the society in Edinburg, gave some in.
teresting and suggestive facts in regard
10 the nature Of comets and their Connec-
ton with meteOrs. HG considers the ny
pOthGsis that they consist of meteoric
stones as established with almost entire
certainly, This theory accounts intelli.
gently for the light of the nucleus, and
gives q simple explanation Of phenomena
presented by the tails of comets, which
even the most theoretical astronomers
have hitherto been COntented 10 leave
among incomprehenslble marvels. = WY
The learned British President goes n
step farther, and considers It thoroughly
proved by the investigations of Professor
Newton, OF Yale College, followed and
completed by those Of Adams, that Tenn
pies comet Of 1866 and the November
meteor system are one and the same thing,
instead of being mysteriously associated,
The comet itself fills the immense ellipse
stretching out In Its aphelion distance be-
yOnd Uranus, and filled with minute
planets whose number we can no more
count than We can count the grains of
sand upon the sea shore. A few thous.
ands or millions of these cOmGtary rocks
fall TO tho earth annually about the 14th
of November, when we cross their track.
Little did we imagine when we watched
the descent Of these fiery little bodies
into our atmosphere, that rocky frag.
ment Of comets tail had found It's way
to our earth, for we have always looked
upon the mysterious appendag0 rs some.
thing infinitely removed from our sphere,
and intangible 10 our moral perceptions.
But wonders will never cease, and we
must lain believe that every year we go,
full tilt, through the body of Temples
comet There are hopes that we may
have more brilliant show of celestial
rockets than has eVeryet been vouchsaIed
to mortal eyes, for the probability is that
we have not yet passed through the very
densest part Of the gigantic Cometary
hoop, although thirteen experiences are
vi TCCOTu Wncn VIZ nhVc encountered
belt greatly denser than tho average.
When the densest part Of the train a near
enough to us, It becomes visible o. the
nucleus or head Of the comet; according
to Taits theory, 1t is sef-luminOus, bRhc-
count of collisions among It's rocky con.
stituents. Tho tail Is only portion Of
the less dense part of the train, illumina-
ted by sunlight, and visible or invisible,
according To the controlling conditions Of
density, degree Of illumination, nearncss,
and also tactic arrangement as In the pc.
sitiOn Of flock Of birds or the edge Of u
cloud Of smokO ~
We can only hope that We shall hit
upon the densCst portion of the comet be
fore many more Novcmbers have fulfilled
their annual course. We dare MT at.
tempt to imagine the grand show which
would then throw blaze of glory over
Our evening sky, and make the exhibitions
OF 1866 and 1893 pale before the majestic
grandeur Of the brilliant starry artillery,
when In some coming year the earth
shall collide with the hcad Of Temples
comet.