New-York tribune., 1874-01-14
LEOTURE-ROOM THEMES.
COMETS AND METEORS
THIRD LECTURE by PROP. r. A. PROCTOR. IN
BROOKLYN.

THIRD LECTURE BY PhoT' h A. FhVo'on' i"
BROOKLYN.
Tbe tb,rd lecture of the course of six on
astronomy. delivered in America by Prof Richard A.
Proctor r g.. given at the Brooklyn Academy OF
m,sic last eyenng under the auspices OF the Brooklyn
Mercantile Library Association Tho subject was
Comes and Metoors" Prof. Proctor said ia the course
OF the lecture:
We hays in the first place he fact that comets come
from outer space after travehng a'ost reoW ranS h1
and passed away again into the realms OF space Ihe,o
fact which seems TO ali Ine tine nws W
10y The planetary system But 1t was precisely IN tns
was no resisting Of the law of gravity Here was PIC,
tured on the screen tho comet OF 1860 when TINS
comet was seen II was m observer 10 uo sh,a 70
say that that comet would follow such ana such
course And though this body was travelling on an orbit
Of an entirely different nature from any other and con
tinuay changing day by day. Newtons prediction that
he would tell precisely where the comet would 80 came
the SUM- aud when within sixth part OF the suns
diameter Of him circed around nm ana eh 1eh Sed
arrived M naa n ioat long ia ' extended according
TO known laws Of comets, away from the SUM-
and was thus carried beyond tho comet but az the
comet passed around the sun long tan, yv1oo 81
ing down front Of IL. Now that comet was -FOUR weeks
in approaching the carrying only over 9oooooo
of miles. and yet had all the velocity IN 5rartlug
with which it had arrived. but in less than four days
that wondrous tail 9OOOOoOO miles long was thrown
which shows us that, in dealing with the tail OF
and its Appearances We have TO realize 1orce
that comet distance OF 9OOOOOOO miles in four weeks
wnie the repusive power OF tho sun threw OUT s & a
In days. That close to the sun that
heat asSs ss . WITCH would iaai not
only metI all material here but convert 1t into vapor
The lecturer spoke of the Of 1880 showing now
distng gushed astronomer predicted that would re-
appear In 1850 and years went aud the asron
died, others were enabled 10 preilct sun mor9
closely until the very month had been designated. and
fhe me
Another planet was seized IN It's course py Jupiter.
and since then had gone noo3Hy knew h stnrhng
them, thus showing that the comet was mere vapor.
The comet of s4S Travelled ON the shortest period Oh any
comet and one peculiar circumstance IN regard To
getting closer and closer 10 tne sum- anu
apparently retarded by some matter occupying space, @
hastened by the pull OF the sum- ana wouu III tue couse
OF time fan on the SUM- The planet oi lo4o was gtassy
orb. In III. when 1t was feared that tue oomes
would collide with the earth tickets purportlng 10
be reserved seats in Paris were sold In 1882
people were frightened but nothing surprising IN
regard comet lknown until 1876 when tnas
same comet found in America to be DIVIDED INTO Two
parts while in Germany it was noticed To be single
Donat's Comet seen In 1885, mad plume ana s.ragh,
and curved appearances OF the tails and briefly alluded
the phenomenon Of iktailed comets Wnch III reay
had only three tails. Haey's Comet had envelopes
formed IL n course OF time and thrd ehVeope
had Just formed when the comet as seen ia ALoIica,
appe,red 70 have tails II each envelope were
the material for tail Those comets were not merely
length and breadth. but had thickness also -.
Iope on charts Of Donats comet aud referred TO Pro
TyndaIs experiment with tube, showing the forma
ton OF comets tails He then passed on 70 tne
and showed why II that the earth encountered
them n November and August. described their course
through the heavens and mentioned the prediction
of prof Newton OF Yale College, fully realized .that
metcors would be IN November. loG6 The period
in which they travel Oh their course was next discussed
the theories Of Herschel and Newton were expaiheu
aud the process by which astronomers. and notably
prof Adams arrived at the conclusion that IL was 33
years The branch Of the lecture was the inter
estng OF the connection noticed between comets
discovery that meteoIs follow IN the
train of comets and the confirmation of TINS by Alex
ander IIerscheIs calculation beforehand that when the
comet of 1897 reappeared there would be great dis
MAY of msteors This proved TO be glorious display
nm the path the comet would have taaen " had STRUCK
Sbe earth Prof Newton discovered that about
400 oOO.OOO uleteors ia upon tue earn every year.
rhere is such an immense number Of these meteors
and the solar system that there IN every reason
20 beleye that shOuldt an aggregation VI them
around the sun We do In the corona
Tn, lecturer spoke Of the theory that meteors con-
s,s,ad of matter expelled from the SUM- perhaps also
from upIter and ,he larger planets, aud stated that
.norous condition. He also mentioned the theory that
The comets orod had been captured Dy coming
near TO the larger planets ana mus conPehe 10 iooW
- THAR course and argued that the balance of evidence
vs i'm favor OF their being bodies expelled from those
rsnet. Rspresentations OF Donats and other comets
we're thrown upon tine screen anu Uy Wy "o
that many of the comets have very long periods
millions Of years, and We coaia not EEL sem how low
xs IN another great changes have taken place IN the
solar system. In explaining representation OF
shower OF I'M veSv % and that IL is steadiy grow
inc through that downfall, though slowly About
400 calculated 10 fai every day. ana we arc
only protected by the fact that most OF them are ds
mated by the atmosphese into a vaporous dust Two
pictures OF the were exhDited showing tne corona
appearing II there was An aggregative gatherns OIL
tIps mater thrown from the SUM- with the meteorio
masses