The sun., 1873-01-27
WONDERS OF THE HEAVENS
1oopER INSTITUTE SCIENCE LEC-
TIRES FOR THE PEOPLE.
p,,G Ysung, ofDartmouth College, on Comets
aud Shsotiug stars.

60 ,he great hall Of the Cooper Union on Comets
.rd Shooting stars" inaueuratng the course Of
DO lectures on scientific subjects to be de-
u,ec,d thero this winter under the direction of
,h. trustees Of the institute. Prof Young ls
among .hc foremost, IL Indeed he Is not the most
eminent, of American astronomers. The consti-
,,,i,n If the sun has formed the subject Of his
most fruitful and valuable researches. Some
,s,rs teo ho had the good fortune to witness
rhat was probably one Of the mightiest phe-
pousna ever exhibited by the solar photospherc
-, huge sun spot so perceptibly changing
c-t. while he watched IL @ to indl-
cato the progress of solar storm over
r,ulinn, Of mios In less than half an hour. Last
.ummer Prof. Young conducted a sorcs uf
,bservstions at a temporary astronomical sta
Non established by the United States Govern
ncnt at sherman, the highest point on the Union
Pailc hallway. about 5000 feet above the sea
eyel, TO determine whether the atmosphere was
,o much clearer than at lower attitudes a. to
.enIcr desirable the construction of permanent
obserya,ories on such lofty sites. Ho found that
II was Many stars which at Dartmouth no is
unable to detect without telescope aid could
p,dily he soon with the naked eye from sher-
nan. lie Is a modest little man OF middle age,
Iignt in hgure, with full black beard, and hair
uirinkicd with gray. lie spoke somewhat rap
div vet clearly. and loud enough TO be heard
dist,nct,y In an parts VI the hall The audience
vas large, int lgeut, and appreciative.
TIVE THEORY OF COMETS.
Hauy comets. said the lecturer, must have
seen SEEN by the Chaldeans and ancient EEyp-
tans. who traced the paths of some OF these
bodies a considerable distance through the sky,
snd also by the ancient Chinese who recorded
the appearance ~ large number. The Greek
and Roman world, up 70 the time OF Arlstote,
ibcs" nati0ns That nbiiosonber o"nstrncted A
theory II the origin and nature OF these strange
celestial wanderers which was accepted "a a
v,rded the earth as a circular pIane resting in
sar ahcSs ~ ,ot,ad cnrrentr,c hnitaw
srberes ~ nura crystal each with its own inde-
pendent nation lie beiieyeJ The moon 10 I've
hxed in m" sphsre Of crystal nearest the earth
the planet Mercury In the next. aud so on TO the
o,Itermnst Of The nlaneta heTond which was the
tesion called the Pr,niiIn W0l.Ie. These spheres
~ere svpposed 10 make music "a they moy.d
and Milton refers 10 this idea in his beautiful
hymn ON The Nativity:
R&ne Eng ont ont ye I erys,M spheres
II ve Rave NC NO ssp I" touch our sen.esso.
And lei youf silver chime
Move In me'udious time,
And let the bass Of heavens deep organ oloN
According TO Aristotle. the air over the earth
vas naturally divided into three distinct layers {:
the hrst comprised that In imine dlate proximity
to the surface the second was colder stratum (;
and this was surnounted 10y warmer envelope
innamed when they reached this lofty region u
warmth. received an impulse Of motion from
that Of the spheres and thus becaue comets,
continuing luminous SO long the earth sup
Piled them with fuel in its vapors.
,on'st. % eXplsiSed ali tie p6enonena: @ ma % he merely
asked is acee rtsnce until hotter one was pro-
pussd II was not 'islr9yed until the time Of
rychu erahe the great Danish astronomer OF the
sixteenth century, "ho oUseINeu comet HoN, NOV,
lhs w Apieyttiun % Wy s g1 - o'u,.,
Nhi', uieIeto,c, 'is.1t Is ,.N'e
Tue 'ryIh Spheres IL the'e were any
1nE SUPERSTITION or THE ANcrESrs.
The ,ncients look ed upon comets az messen-
-, 4. s,.,i frnn, m, oods prcsaring ynr uesti-
i,.., and famine Whon The Pope Issued hs
Gr,.l. bulI OF excommunication against the
rH,', LEN blSiine in The LES the TurEs were
ht..ienins CnristI,n Europe with Invasion. and
n ,I,.r,,, - ~ maj tha chirch heti" should he
p.Ss and prayers should be said t. invoke pro-
49,, s.E -HI L,ust Che T'rks the comet an ina
Ie,1,i aTi,,"su ~, e - ~ i, Hs n,e b,rh hiis y,
us, r Mn nrn, %, i ny n,rt ~ ,his
h"nuS W ps ~ ~ n,sy iyi III a., VI , o,
'1 ,,I " t Ia a. Th nntin ,h., ~
ptSlt mniey"lent inauence upon man.
- , IA a.cI W, ~
NM, anu 9iMHs hei.iu epo.ns ,I -, uLs"s. 60 I
@ ",r ,r TIL in ism nr Fos,er an EngIishman ~
otherwise respectahie attalninents IN science
@ oieu w. a. i oir I'll eS
Ai ~, ~ H. he,ynS H. Sas mi 30 sch
aP'' 49, az 70 W u ~ ~, 80, 80, a, ~, T. -
iI 's ~ ~ ii ~. -, % 80 - - -, =, ,S :, I'll ~ " -,
i ~ ,h u ~, H. w 80 ~ 49, &, 81 WI, ~
.i ~ % 1,a, "a, ~, ara ai,,,s,
Ie,ueuloer tnat teies ,Vlo [ Vovts ne s si'iiyS ~
ws riiySS bn,y baselsss ia tho beiIaf In a.
" W ~ -, = - ,k,s Ill ,,, -. 81, l,.
,,pt - - @ i,ae ", cIieJ s ,',ch ndsr I
4. , ua' -, ,hs c,s, a. "a IA Z, ,,bich -.
U,m,',s bsIieved ia he tbs sonI 81 JuIius Caesar
~ ~ ,, 70 ,, ~ ~, go s',y',,l,d iy ,1,,,,., .,
@ .iL,, 20 IL ..'ar ", SSo,o..i., :,
u, "ssu LII r.iIPuVV Pa "a Slf%,h. W. E,,nti.n. ~
% i' - - nas @ d' "H % 'h Nj S - ,- ~ 49,,
s m ,e 9rhs so1 WI 'T ars ny, ali Ssd m vs
"''''' 'aAV"' i"e iO''' "'S ~ " '"N 'S'
COMETS AND THEIR ORBITS.
Tvcho Brahe, then was the FIRST to establ
the fact that comets move In orbits around tn
IN lns'e orpitS % xIe ei,neI 1 .1ns W.,
ur sun ~ pne ~ tho -, iyN, va va ~ s"aa W "S lei |
ii o Al 10 fro,n - n,r,hdI !; Il, ,rohaiI
,n, coT,,ets ,,ovs H. siiintir ar Ia hIlnsrhnli
or1its 'fbs" bennoing - 10 ihc Latter c,ss vi
No ann M nnre ~ ev come from a re,inn T,
MISUNDERSTANDING coid r. o1e yShsrs The heat il ne
bans a1,,nIIv incnnceivahIe or at least can nni
he hkened 70 thai nroduced nv the electric lieh
when nowerf,Il enough 10 fuse "A diamonC
Wartning itself once by this central Are
sraeds ayyay into space never 10 return unles
perchance its course shall be altered by the al
traction of some distant star itself a sun, i
that event IL may again make its appearance /
our solar system: and il seems probable that /
His wav s,ich comets nre really interstellaT tTaN
eller. 90 that II we hope ever 10 communicat
with the stars we must arst learn 10 ride o
comets
Ntny comets however, have regular period
| ofrevoutlon around the sun one OF the mos
noteworthy Of these IA that known as Haley
comet which that astronomer observed In IN
yelr l.,9 Ia STUDYING observations Of form,
comets he was led to the belief that this come