The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1872-04-04
The Coming Comet.

Nature, the able scientific publication O
London, 4uiets the apprehensions Of ths
puclic with regard to the Apocryphal come
: of the Geneva astronomer, after the name,
following: "We have reason to know" il
says, THAT many weak people have been
alarmed, and many still weaker people made
positively i'll by an announcement that has
appeared IN almost all the newspaper, to the
| effect that Professor Pantamour, Of Geneva,
mas discovered a comet of immense size
which is 10 collide as our American friends
would say, with our plauet on the 18th OF
August next. We fear that there is no
foundation whatever 70. the rumor. In the
present state OF science nothing could be
more acceptable than the appearance Of
good large comet, and the nearer it comes TO
us the better, for the spectroscope has long
account to settle with the whole genus, which
up TO this present time has eluded our grasp.
But it is not too much to suppose that the
laymen in these matters might imagine that
the discovery would be TOO dearly bought by
the ruin of our planet. Doubtless, If such
ruin were possible, or, indeed. probable-but
let Us discuss this point. Kepler, who was
want TO say that there are as many comets in
the sky as fishes in the ocean, has had his
opinion endorsed in later times by Arspo
who has estimated the number of these bod.
les which traverse the solarsystem at IL, 500
OOO. But what follows from this? Surely
that comets are very harmless bodies, or We
should have suffered from them long before
this, even II We do not admit that the earth
. As old a. geologists would make it, But
this Is not all. 1t II we'll known that some
among their number which have withal put on
very portentious appearance, are merely the
celestial equivalent of our terrestrial wind
bags'-brought down to their proper level
they would have shrunk INTO very mall d.
mansions indeed. But there is more COM
fort still. The come, Of ITO positively |
got SO near to Jupiter that it got entangled |
among his moons, the diameter of the |
smallest Of which is only some two thousand |
miles; but the moons pursued their courses !
as if nothing had happened, while the comet |
was SO discounted by the encounter that it |
returned by another road. c, astronomic- |
ally speaking, Its orbit was entirely changed.
While, last Of all, in our correspondence |
this week, will be found one fact the more
IN favor of the idea that, in 1861, We
actually did pass through a comet. We
have suggestion for those weak people who |
are still alarmed by these celestial portents,
and steadily refuse to acquain: themselves
with the most elementary work on astronomy,
which would convince them how groundless
their fears are. In Indis, during the last
eclipse, the priests reaped magnificent har-
vests from the offerings of the faithful In
England, possibly, it would be considered
incorrect to make such offerings to the priest;
but let them still be made-to the Royal As
economical Society. In this way the
English PhiIistine would approach nearer
he standard of his less civilized brother;
cience would he benefited. and doubtless
he omen would he averted-at all events
hey always have been.