The New York herald., 1874-07-12
COGGIA'S COMET.
Qpinion Of Professor " ootivv rd, of tn e
Washington University-He Appre-
heupds No Serious Danger.

QplntVB OF Professor W OOuWerd, Of the
Washington University-He Appre-
hends No Serious Danger.
A reporter of the st. Louis G7ooc has inter-
viewed Professor Woodward, Of Washington Uni.
versiiy, with the following result
IGNORANT REPoE1HR-Do you think. Professor,
that Will be enveiOped IN the tau OF the comet,
N Mr.. Parkhnrst, Of New YORK, says we VIII.
PBOFEssoR-We.l, haven't investigated the sub
ject myself very much, as / told YOU but ! don't
fear any result Ike that. According TO the calcu-
laiions of the best European astronomers the tail
of the comet WONT be anywhere near 90 200, coo
or 30 600, 600 OF miles rom the earth when 10 Is
passing between Us aud the snu. Mr. Parknurst's
tdea 700, Is taat tIe tail OF the comet coming in
contact WIN the moon viii form an accretlon OF
atmosphere upon the moon. Well that IA absurd.
la the 1rst place we don't KNOW the CONF mpOsltion OF
THE TAIL OF TIE COMET.
II s easier TO tell wnat IL Is not tnan what 1t Is.
We only know tnat 1t is not ponderabe matter;
that II s not solid liquid or gaseous. | nave an
ioea that IL does not consist oi ponderable matter
any more than the Aurora Borealis or the ee3tric
stars. Lake them, should saf that the comet is
formed entirely OF motion, vibration.
IGNORANT fkpoRIER-ls that the generally ac-
eepted ioea OF the comets tal
PR0FESsOR-NO, IL Is A theory tn9t has occurred
to me to account for ire phenomena IN the igat
of the iacts we have at hand.
IGNORANT REfORrER-What DO scien Lnc men
generally believe regarding 1t :
PRoFGssoR-The generally accepted theory is
that the tail OF the comet is cometIc matter re-
PEELED by the sun. should say that as the sun.
light passes through the nucleus OF the comet it
undergoes variation, so that tne vibrations that
exist as II were beyond the comet take on THAT
peculiar nature wnlcn makes them show all the
Phenomena OF the tail. the varieties of the phe-
noInena that we witness would be accounted Tor
in the varieties oil the substance ofth comet.
IGNORANT REPoRrER-rnere are varieties o. CON-
ess, thenY
sometimes tBey have not; and 5len tneir tails are
very different, some one shape and some another.
d0n't know whether, IKE Darwin with his lVur-
JAILED doves, we Will be able to
PRODUCE ANY VARIETY
We want: but perhaps we can do taat by and by.
A
are NOT composed OF matter
PKoPkssoR-Because the motion involved in the
tais switching around the sun, 80 AZ 20 he always
opposite the sun, would give such centrifugal
Jurce to entirely detach the tail from the comet
The act IL That while IN approaching the sun tne
tall follows the comet, in recedlng from the san ~
precedes the comet SO f is Impossible Tor IL 10 lie
matter either solid, liquid or gaseous
IGNORANT REPORTER--Do scientific men generally
think that the tai cannot be matter
PR0FH,sOR-No, indeed: az | told yOu while
ago Herschel thought the tail was nothing more
less than the accumulation OF a sort or luIni-
nous vapor, dArted on In the 6rst instance toward
the sun ~ II is were something raised ND aud as 10
were exploded 10y tue suns neat and tnen imme-
dtately and iorcibly turned back aud repeled by
the snn
IGNORANT REPoRrKR-what Is your objection to
thatY
PRoFEssoa-My objection TO tnat is thar the
comet as a whole, obeys the laws OF gravitatoD,
and that tt Ii Inconsistent TO suppose that body
IA drawn toward the sun, as every shape Of matter
ts drawn toward the sun, aud at the same time re-
pelied from the sun.
IGNORANT RBPoRrEn-wen as to its being vapori
PRoYRsso9-Lum3nous vapor; oi course 1t must
be vapOr; al comets must pe vapor. Professor
lay thought the taii consistent OF a multitude o
metcors, travelling la a sort of nat night, IKE sea
BIRDS.
IaEoBArr REpoRrER-Yo have the same objec
sion 20 that as TO the other theory.
PpoFEssOR.-CertgiDly. You can state this. tha
n the tail is composed OF matter OF any l0rfn what
eyer, tOe tsli wiusa Ihe eowes wni wesr alseT