The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-07-18
COMETARY.
Little Popular Science About COggia's
and Other Comets.


The second comet of 1874, in which |
the popular inter, st Is daily deepening, |
appears to have defed astronomic COM !
putation till very recently. For some
weeks in June it was approaching the
earth in so direct line that the calcu-
lations were very difficult. The Berlin
ephemeris of its position, brilliancy and
future pathway, so freely published
last month, because so confidently trus-
ted in this country, proved to be decid-
eddy fallacious IN some points. In the
last few days the meteor has altered its
course and is now more easily studied
but very precise predictions are : vet
premature. 1t now appears that It's
greatest brilliancy will occur from July
81 to the Sd of August, and the degree
of luminosity will be between that of
Jupiter and that of Venus. The nu-
cleus will be then seen to the best ad-
vantage about twilight, the comet being
so near the SIM that it will not be OBJ
served two or three hours after the lat
ter sinks behind the western horizon.
The brightness of the meteor stream
will then be three times as great as it is
now.
On Tuesday, the 9th of June, from
micrometrical comparisons. with a star
guishad astronomer, J. r. Hind, of Mr..
Bishops observatory, Twickenham, Eng
land, found that Coggia's comet was
then rather brighter than Argelander's
stars of the sixth magnitude, and the
tail was traceable about two degrees
from the nucleus, which still presented
very stellar appearance. Mr.. Hind
also determined that its perihelion pas
sage would take place on the Sth of
July, AFhen its distance from the sun
woul be sixty seven minutes of the
eartW mean distance. G., about six
ty-Q million miles. This seems to be
veI near the central orb of fire; but
IL are instances of much nearer ap-
p as in the comet of 1860, which
svN within six hundred thousand
1nHSjlenE the sun. 1t did not, however,
/ -. into the sun, as comets have never
| bee+5 known to do, contrary to a vague
| theory that has been largely enter
/ tanned, as if the nebulous matter was
| fuel for its mighty furnaces. So far
/ from this rash venturer upon the suns
/ domains effecting lodgment on his in
| candescent and tumultuous surface, 1t
was subjected to an enormous repulsion,
and from the point of perihelion was
/ shot out into space with an ineonceiva-
BILE force, far greater than that with
| which the solar heat acted upon and
/ controlled the head of the comet itself.
\ The amount Of this force may be faint
| " indicated when we reflect that the
cometary matter was then glowing with
a heat twenty-five thousand six hun
| bred times as intense as that which
| RACES at MONDAY on our EQUATOR
heat in which any terrestrial substance
known to US would instantly be CONVEX
ted into vapor.
The condition of a comet, after it ha
passed the perihelion, must be very diff
ferent from what it was before bu
that difference is yet to be ascertained
except in the mere fact that from disun
ion by action of heat the meteor ha
undergone great attenuation and analy
sis. The comet of 1880, to which W
have alluded, and that of 1913, afte
their immersion in the suns rays emery
ed from them in augmented splendc
and with vastly enlarged tails, as
they had caught up new supplies o
!: light and fire from the great luminary
It would not be, therefore, great SUI
prise of CSggia's comet should do tn
same, though instances are recorded i
which immersion in the solar rays ha
stripped the flying meteor of much @
! its glory. The idea has been expresse
that the present comet will intersect tn
earth's orbit and come in collision wit
! us. The opinion prevailed with 81
John Herschel and others that if eve
the earth swallowed up comet it woul
be on the Both of November, whe
BiIAs comet approached very neal
here is great doubt whether,
Ilehe 2St of actual collision, any har1
Va ehsue or even any one be cogn
z; bf If. The comet is materit
sd nee, since it has been proved thu
4 it mes by reflected light; but il
2 tend psness is almost inconceivabl,
The metic particles form cosmict
4 fog o. Fapor so light that, through d.
MATHS Comet, where the tail was ninet
. thousand miles thick, the stars elearl
shone. Arcturus was in no degre
: eclipsed, as it beamed directly throug
: this enormous band of mist. We ma
I therefore, safely dismiss the long stan(
ing superstition Of
painless comet and curse
! The menance of the universe.
Various theories have been offered {
. to the purpose for which comets wei
: created and sent flying about throug
q illimitable space. By some it is though
they may be the scavengers of the un
8 verse, sweeping up the impurities thi
! accumulate from the countless world
! of an infinite creation. They have bee
IL L