The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-03-28
COMETS AND AETEORS.
What Prof. Proctor hnows Conserving
These extraordinary Phenomena-

-
ing the truth Of the Law o. gravity
Newton's comet, IS she comet OF 16So
Is called, Is chosen by that sstrouc-
Ener 70 demonstrate the theory Of gray
itssion. He discovered lis precise
path, predicted is motion, and. SIS lie
had prophesied, l. came directly toward
the sun, and when within the sixth part
of the suns diameter II : relied around
him aud then passed away on traek
precisely Ike that On Ehlch 10 had sr-
rived Ike al other comets Of dis
tincu0o y hsd long tai, and SIS Il SD
preached the sun that talt extended
away from the SUP, and Vas then car
r.ed behind the comet Out IS the comet
passed around tie sun long t2il, 90,
0o0, 600 miles N extent, was seen. 10
longer carried behind the comet. bat
travelling nSg n front Of II. and u a
dav OF two that comet gas lost sight OF.
that long tai vas thrown ont.
Hzlley's comet. which appeared II
1885. was che Of the most noted. snd
the changes IN the shape OF its neucleus
which gCsdually formed itself into An
almost perfect crescent and afforded
rare opportunities for observation. Al
ter pass NJ around the sun itreappeared
without tail and only 10 be distln-
/ guished from a star by its position and
{ course, bat seemed 70 struggle 10 throw
out a new tai, and during the i've weeks
/ which II vas visible increased seventeen
times n volume. From this comet and
/ the observations which were made of
{ It's various phases astronomers were able
T 10 deduce the theory that the tail IS 8
T gas which,, ike the vapor OF water, i
+ invisible when the Temperature mounts
{ above 3 given point, but which becomes
/ VS. bic when condensed.
Lexel's comet, named after the as
E trononer who discovered i, had s
period Of Ave and one-half years, and
+ ASTRONOMERS thought that from II they
I would discover many hitherto unknown
I facts n reference 70 thAse mysterious
( visitors. but L WIS never seen sgEID
ard i vas discovered that by the power
( Of the giant planet Jupiter u had been
diverted from lis course and sent into
the realm OF space. Astronomers TaCe1
II back and calculated is path and
found that the sane hand which sent
that comet away had introduced Z.
That comet. N 1867, approached @ Iite
close 20 JGpiter-so Close. N fact, as 70
intrude itself among is satellites
J upiter compelled i 70 follow another
and Jupiter one, i vas aCsIn seized by
Jupiter and sent outside the solar sys-
ten But still there IS one point about
this comet OF Lexel worth notice L
had gone into the midst OF Jupiter's
satellites. The satellites are not large
objects. and II the comet lad any mass
he could disturb them but instead Of
that al those satellites are still travel
ing the path they had before that comet
had arrived. and we learn, therefore,
F 80 -
vapor acd had 10 power CT weight.
although Il vas much larger even thsn
Jupiter.
Encke's comet, as the comet Of 1915
I Is called, travels the shortest period Of
any comet re knew Of-three and one
( half yeErs-azd permits such close OBJ
seTvotion that i has been determined
exactly how much Il Is retarded by the
/ ether which fills space, and this very
( resardstion, bE subject1nE Il more
strongly 70 the influence Of the sun,
gives Il 8 greater ac.ual velocity, while
Its orbit continually dIminisles II
SIZE.
Biela's comet vss discovered n 1926,
and a period of SIX years and eight
{ months was assigned 70 Il. It's path
7 crossed that OF the earth. and many per
{ sons thought that II 1892 q collision
.
( eulable evil, bnt thai result did not en-
Z SIC, and nothing wsls seen OF u until
( 1876. when Il vas found travelling on It's
usual path, and, 20 the great astonish-
ment Of astronomers, Il was announced
[ that the comet had divided into two
Z parts, each having 3 distinct head and
I nucleus-sn fact, two separate comets
I Travelled along. side BY side. and the
I strange circumstance was noted that
/ they IntercbanEed light; sometimes one
/ and sometimes the other vas brighter.
/ as II there were communication between
/ them. Ihsy were kind Of ; anese
/ tEans. They passed into space. and as
I tro1oners thought they could watch
/ them sgain and ascertain how they were
/ separated, but they were never seen
a-aia
Donsti's comet. which appeared IN
lS5S, had two and st times three dis
ti1ct tails, the principal one curved,
the others straight. and this the speaker
explained S?mewhat elabOrately by stat
ing that rer2lsloa II this case ID EOs
tske plsce S1zts-ssl- :. -. =
bv consDzrsSon. end the Other repefIed
With great Selocity, and 50 swept Of IN
20 straight line. 1t would be mani
fest, that being the case, since there
was 3 separation OF the matter II the
comets tai, that II the comets head
was complicated IN structure there
world be an intermixture Of the two
kinds OF mstter, and the portion more
readily repealed would escape the first
and would form the straight tail.
FOR long time meteors were looked
On as phenomena Of our atmosphere.
! but facts began TO be observed which
lei . ,s7-fr a
wss that tie meteors occurred In show
ers on certsin days. as for instance the
showers OF November Is. which are esl-
cuizted with the most wonderful ascu-
Tacx. The period OF the meteor streams
Is 5 third Of a century. That vas the
actual tine when the last great display
took place, Arago being one OF the as
trcnOmers Who described Il most close
iv, and Humboldt described smother
shower n 177S- IF they travel on Their
course, having a period CT thirtT-thres
Years. We might account for the reear-
renee.
Everything seemed to be done 10
show that tie metsors Travelled IN the
track Of the comets. But one test re-
nsiasd, and thst WIS to predict that AZ
tsr a comes bad passed 8 certain place
there would be a shower Of rnetears.
ara the prediction would be confirmed
then there would be new kind OF
evidence. The neteors following b
elias comet furnished that evidence.
Alexander Hersehel, in England, pre-
dlesed that. when the earth came to that
part 81 her orblt-Nov- Is, 1ST2-there
sonld be probably great display Of
That happened It was
siorio1s display 10 England and Amsri-
ca, bat i vas still more gloriously sen
y Italy. where Il appeared with sll the
siory Of the large nefeors. with great
Number OF Minute cnes. That shower