The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1874-07-10
Cometary.--A Prodigious Tail.

scientist, demonstrates by nice calcu.
lation that the caudal appendage Of the
lurid monster now travelling on its ear
in the starry north, Is just three millions
Of miles in length. The learned Pro.
fessor has also demonstrated TO bis
own entire satisfaction that the comet
or rather, the tsil--will strike the earth
somewhere about the Goth instant. The
Professor further states Through the
Y. Y. IIerald) that July l6 the tail will
extend far beyond the North Pole and
develop a new Characteristic, tapering
Off rapidly toward the end. Within three
or four days after the 10th the tail will
have become so expanded IN the neigh
borhood Of the Pole as 10 ill large
part Of the northern heavens. Yet it
will not be conspicuous object, be-
cause il will be so faint as to look rather
| like an immense cloud or new Milky
Way than what il really is. BY this
time, the Professor thinks, we shall have
solved the question whether the tail is
hollow or has a radiated structure, or
what is its constitution.
Professor Newton says this comet
will pass almost directly between us
and the sun about the 10Th or Goth of
July. At that time the tail, if long
enough, may stretch out across our hea-
vens, though IL short or too diflusc 1t
may not be at all visible. 1t Is fairly
within the possibilities that the earth
will strike through the tail, but the re.
suit would be totally inapprecia5e Ell
Their in the sight or in any effect on our
weather. After passing the sun The
comet can be seen by persons only in
the Southern hemisphere. 1t will be
nearest to us about the 2lst of July, be.
ing then 10000 GOO of miles from us.
Another authority says when the
comet disappears it will, of course,
leave us portion Of its atmosphere,
but not enough to affect the barometer,
or to come within the cognizance even
of scientists. Bat there NAV be one
permanent effect Of scientific inter-
est and curiosity. If the earth should
not entirely escape the moon will also
probably be involved, and IL will also
retain portion of the cometary sub
stance. AS the amount of the atmos.
phere upon the moons surface is now
so small, il, indeed, there is any at all,
that it is unacceptable by the incest
astronomical scrutiny, perhaps after the
passage Of the comet we shall find that
henceforth the moon viii. have an at
mosphere Of greater or less density,
which will materially modify the phe.
nomena Of OSCILLATIONS aud OF solar
eclpses.
In earlier times comets were general
ly regarded as harbingers Of fate-the
forerunners Of war, postilcnce, famine,
and other direful evils. In the year 500
an epidemic ragged all over the CONT
nent OF Europe, and many thousands
persisted. This visitation was ascribed
TO the influence of comet which ap-
peared in the same year. An exiraor-
binary feature of the disease was that
The patient was seized with a fit of
sneezing from which he frequently died.
Always after that time, when any one
sncozed Unfortunately his friends ex-
claimed, "God bless you!" That custom
has continued for nearly thirteen hun.
dred years in many European countries.
In the year 1906 comet is described
as presenting fearful aspect, exhibit
ing an enormous curved tail in the form
of scy.he. This was regarded by the
supersttious Of the day as all instru-
ment of Gods wrath to NOW down the
wicked nations Of the earth.
One hundred and twenty years be-
fore Christ, at the time Of the birth of
Mithridates, comet made its appear
ance whose magnitude must have been
far beyond anything subsequently, seen,
rs its splendor is said to have surpassed
that Of the sun. In the years 24S, 1924
and 400 Of the Christian era, remarka-
bio comets also appeared. Four thou
sand comets in all have appeared since
men first begun to observe them.
The nature Of comets, especially Of
the tail, is matter Of great uncertain
ty. The nucleus obeys the laws of gra-
witty, uninhuenced by the motions Of
the tail. The material Of the tail first
moves toward the sun and is then re.
PEELED from 1t. The evident polarity
leads to the natural conjecture that the
tail is electricity itself. The supersti-
tious fears of primitive ages have in
this century been replaced by tho fear
of the carth's collision with a comet.
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