Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-03-04

IHE PLANTAMoUR CoMET.-Nature auiets
the apprehenslons Of the public with regard To .
Inc Apocryphal comet Of the Geneva astrorIs
homer, after the manner following: "Wc, 40
reason 70 know that many weak pc Z nave
Deen alarmed, and many still W, 'ople have
made positively i'll, by an anptstRker people
mas appeared III almost all ~ louncement that
the effect that Professor Pl Sde newspapers, to
has discovered comet 'Santahour, OF Geneva,
saw win onr, = our American friends would
next. W r planet on the 18th of August
VIVA, = fear that there is no foundation
Anever for the rumor. In the present stare
-of science nothing could be more acceptable
than the appearance OF a good large comet, and
the nearer IL comes TO us the better, for the
spectroscope has a long account TO settle with
the whole genus, which up to this present time
has fairly eluded our grasp. But it
is not too much TO suppose that the Law.
men in these matters might imagine that the
discovery would be too dearly bought by the
rum OF our planet. Doubtless, ii such ruin
were possible, or, indeed, probable-but let us
discuss this point. Kepler, who was wont 10
say that there are as many comets in the sky
as hshes IN the ocean, has had his opinion en-
dorSed in later times by Arago, who has esti-
mated the number of these bodies which trav-
erse the solar system at 1880 900 But what
iollows from this? Surely that comets arr very
natlnless bodies, or we should have suffered
from tnem long before this even if we do NOT
admit that the earth is as old as geolopists wonld
make II. Bot this is not all Ii is well known
mat some among their number which have
Withal put on avery pOrtentOus appearance are
merely the celestial equivalent oil our terrestrial
| wlndOa2s - brought down to their proner
| ieVei theY would have shrunk into very small
| dimensions indeed. But there is more COM
| Tort sun. The comet of ITO possitiyely
GOT SO near TO Jupiter that it got entanged
among his moons, the diameter of the
smalles' Of which is ouly some two thousand
miles; put the moons pursued their courses. ns
II nothing had happened, while the comet was
| 50 discounted by the encounter that il returned
| by another road. e astIonomically mneakino
| ITS orbit was entirely changed. WhN last oi
| all, in our correspondence this weeg. will he
| found one fact the more In favor of the idea
that, in 1851, we actually did pass through a
| comet. We have suggestion for those weak
| people who are still alarmed by these celestial
| porfents, and steadily refuse 10 acquant them.
selves with the most elementary work on as
! ttonomy, which would convince them how
| groundless their tears are. In India, during the
last eclipse, the priests rea ed magnificent har.
| vests from the offerings Of the faithful In Eng.
land, possibly, IL would be considered incorrect
| to make such offerings 10 the priest; but let
tnem still be made-to the Royal astronomical
society. In this way the English Phllisrines
Mould approach nearer the Standard OF his less
e, ,'l , brother; science would be benefited
auul uouDtessi the omen would be ayertcd-ai
\ "n V'eh's they always have been.