The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1874-07-14
eMisfelat,n.
The Comet.

The comet is only DC million miles
from the earth, and it travels at the rate
of 80 miles second. The Chicago
Tribnne's philosopher { E. Colberty
says "The spectroscope has recently
led astronomers to infer that even the
head of the, cometis only a volume Of
glowing gas But there is no warrant
for the favorite idea of some astrono-a.
mers that the aeeight of comet might
be carried in ones vest-pocket A globe
of hydrogen gas, which is tho lightest
gas known to US (if we except the by
pothetical Abaron) if equal in bulk to
the earth and of the same destiny as
that at which the gas is measured at
the. eaRth's surface, would contain one
part in G7 600 OF the quantity of mat
ter contained in the earth. Now, we
can scarcely conceive itas possible that
density 100 times less than that of
hydrogen gas at the earth's surface
would permit the reflection of the sun
light TO our eyes from a distance Of
$4,000, COO miles. 3. Yst, ,evensthis stretch
Of the imagination toward the limits of
tangible tenuity would give for globe
Of the size of Coggia's comet. Il mass
which would weigh not. less than lG,-
900, ,000.0 .000, 100000 tons, if it, could bs
brought down 10 the earth's surface -
This compares with the mass of the
moon, as l to 5f00; withtheI earth, as
to 420,O00; and with the sun, rs Ito
l34, ,00U, ,000, 900, It is not, improbable.
however; that the mass Of the comet i.
much greater than this quantity. SO
that it would compare favorably with
the largest of the plapetoids revolving
between the orbits. of Mars and Jupi,
ter That largest plsnetoid is EXCEEDED
$50 times in volume by the ,moons and
if its density should be the same as
that Of the moon, then its mass would
be equal 20 that of the comet. IF the
latter had an average density 16 times
less than that Of hydrogen at tho earth's
surface = ifsi7t3a llHf-s
VISITOR FROM oTHEI sVsTErJ
1t is easily demonstratedt that comet
moving in parabolic orbit with the
sun at its focus, could only do sourin
sole obedience to the attraction OF the
sun, after having fallen toward him
from an infinite distance. But that
would require an infinite time, which Is
the same thing as saying that it coaId
never happen. Hence, this and other
comets which describe the psrabolic
curve, can only do so because, they are
moving in obedience to some other
force in addition to that exerted upon
them by the sun. In other words. ihe
lparabolic comet has been whirling
around some other star titan our sun
before it enters the solar domain; and,
q necessary eerollarv to this statement
is the following. that .tbe comet which
t describes a parabola within the, solar
system leaves US to twist around some
other star" The paraholic comet is
thus visiting member of the whole
confraternity of stairs without belong
! ing to any one more than to the rest
1t is genuine "Wandering iJew,p that
| finds no abiding course smong all the
communities visited, and can only loose
its forlornly- -adventitious character BY
a fortuitous approach to some planetary
attendant of a visited sun, which either
settles it down into<a staid elliptic or
bit, sends it off in a still more eccentric
path, or ends at oLcs its Ieecentricities
and,its individuality by precipitating it
upon some other body which may itself
be terribly econrulsed by the shock. ;,