Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-07-22
The comets motion is ye;y uneduD

orbit, the sun not only turns it ever out of
the straight path it would move in, but it
stops its upward momentum, so that when
it reaches d again it has its old velocity
with which to repeat its circuit. At p its
velocity is % miles at D 4 miles sec.
ond. 10 fact, to pass over the part lying
apparently outside of Jupiters orbit. just
half of the whtle 81 years is required.
Like all ether comets, this one was VS.
lble only when near the earth and near the
sun, Through the other part of its path
1t was never seen, even with telescope.
The comet was seen IN 1926 for the third
time. In March, 1772, it was seen. 1t
was last seen four weeks later.
In November, 1905, Pcns found it.
Both the earth and the comet were going
TO the node the comet going faster than the
earth. The earth passed the node Just
ahead Of the comet. l have told you that
the comet was then visible to the naked
eye even in moonlight, and we'll it might
be. On the Sth Of December, with the
scale OF the figure before you, it was only
Of an inch from the earth at n. On
the same scale the moon is lao of an inch
/ from the earth. The comet passed l-lG
Of an inch outside the earth's orbit, but
the earth was already past that point,
DR.. Schroter describes the comet. 10
the naked eye it was large round cloud
of light nearly as large as the moon. In a
13 foot telescope it had the same appear.
ance, through it was much smaller, and it
had bright, star-like nucleus had not
sharp edges not even definitely round
form, but was like light shining through
a fog Its diameter was about II miles,
or if we take only the central light, 10
miles speaking roughly, as large as the
State Of Connecticut. The whole cloud,
! as seen IN the telescope was some 6,000
miles in diameter; to the naked eye per-
haps 30 600 miles. How much smaller
than 70 miles was the hard part of the
nucleus, we cannot say.
In 1926 it was seen again. Astrono.
mers followed it with care, as they knew
knew now that it Was a comet of short Pc
rlod and not many such were then know.
Its path rhen crossed just inside the earth's
orbit at this node. but only 1l-5000 of an
inch in the diagram, or 10000 miles in
fact, from it.
Six and two-thnds years brings us tol S32,
and you can readily imagine with what
anxiety itspredicted return was watched
for. Some also remember the widespread.
though groundess fears, at that time of
collision Of the earth and the comet. The
Comet was first seen by Sir John Hers
chel in September. In his 20-foot reflect.
ing telescope he saw it pass centrally over
group Of small stars Of the l6 or II
magnitude. The slightest bit Of fog would
have at once blotted out the stars. Through
the comet, however, they looked like a
nsbula resolvabc, or partly resolvable,
into stars. How thick the cometic matter
was we do not know. Its extent. latter
ally, was not less than $4,000 miles.
Again M. Struve saw it pass centrally
over a star of the 9th magnatude. A
like star was seen in the telescope at the
same time, SO that he was able to say
that the comet did not dim in the least
the one wEich it covered.
The comet, was in 1882 always at
great distance from the earth.
Another six and two.tkirds years brings
us to 1S49. The comet, came to perihe-
lion 10 July. The earth and comet were
on opposite sides of the sun both before
and after July, and of course the comet
was not seen. Another circuit was fin
ished iu 1886. The comet was visible
then during five mouths, or as viewed
from the sun through nearly Ealf its cir
cut. AT this time it was that the comet
became all at once famous.
On th3 29th of December Mr.. Herrick
aud Mr.. Francis Bradley were watching
the comet. They saw small companion
comet beside the larger one! What did
it mean! Had the comet q satellite like
the eartli's moon :? Or had the comet
been split by some convulsionf Two
weeks later the companion comet was seen
by Lieut.. Maury and Prof. Hubbard at
Washington and two days after that, It
was seen by two or three European astron-
omers.
q Changes were seen in the larger teles-
copes that increase the mystery. The
faint companion grew in size and brilliau-
scy. Each comet threw out a tail. Then
the smaller Que had two tails. Then the
larger one had pointed, or diamond
shaped, rather than a round head. Two
nuclei were sccu in the larger one, and
W.