Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-07-09
THE COMET.
II Will SiZZle All Round Is on the
2ISt Instant.
A Day of JubilO for the CrematiOnists.

This comet, called after the astronomer
al Marseilles who first detected it, IS new
visitor in these regions Of celestial space,
so far as human records 60. II is approach
inc the sun with an uncomfortable velocity
and its millions of miles of tail will be
switching about our ears on the 2lst inst.
An Eastern observer states that on the 10th
the tail will extend far beyond the polar
star, and develop a peculiar taper, expand
inc for the four following days, till it fills
the major portion of the Northern
sky. With these assurances. it is
pity the thing will be so dim,
resembling a misty, intangible cloud
or highly diluted milky way. This OBJ
server thinks We may absorb some Of its
atmosphere, and he INDUCES hope that the
moon may steal enough Of this desirable
commodity u start life over again. We
are glad To learn that Venus is out OF the
way al safe distance from this millionaire
tail. so that the expensive Preparations for
observing the transit VII not go to waste
through cORetary concentrations Of OBJ
SECURITY.
At its climax, COggin's captive will ap-
peal to the unscientinc eye as a SplOtch Of
light with fair-shaped narrative. 4 good
field or opera glass, will help the view, but
prove unsteady. A mounted telescope will
Of course be the best aid Of vision.
The general nature of these visitors is a
matter of dispute. Some Of them have en-
taiIedto the stunning length of 100000, OOO,-
900 of miles more or less. They seem to be
of no practical use excepttO demonstrate the
infinitude of space, and the miserable pu-
niness of man. Some astronomers cSti-
mated that the great comet of 1875 did not
contain enough mattertO constitute grain
of sand, while oilers weighed it in their
nice balances at several millions of tons.
The tail. however, is the great enigma.
Winston maintained that the tall of a
comet supplied the waters of the deluge.
Who knows but that may be the plan for set
tin" the world on FIRE when the next judg-
ment comes.
Many recent astronomers fear the effect
of comets tail in introducing unknown
elements into our atmosphere. There are
strong arguments, however, against the tail
being a thing of substance at all. One
reason is, that in swinging round the sun
the tail sometimes moves million times
faster than the nucleus. According to the
laws of gravity, the heavier portion ought
to have the greatest velocity. Prof.
Vaughan, of Cincinnati, therefore inclines
TO the theory that the tail contains no more
substance than a ray of light. The simplest
WAY 10 state il would be that the
unclens of the comet is a molten mass act
inc rs a IaiIs, in passing through which the
suns light is intensified, and appears in
the heavens beyond a luminous streak
which we call the tail. The fact that this
extension is nearly always opposite TO the
sun, bears ont the theory, and the only
trouble is, that comet tails Qflen tlavel
faster than light itself. Perhaps we don't
know all about the velocity OF light when
intensified by a cOmetaTy prism. The re-
ligious reader will notice that this theory
reduces the comet to a world in the state
Of final cremation, and there Is no telling
how soon this mundane sphere Of ours may
be struck with the cOmetary mania and fly
off blazing into space, to the dismay and
establishment of oar neighbOIs, Mars and
Venus.