The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-07-03

QOS DAYS.
The Comet and Its Course.
The second comet of 1874, in which the
popular interest is daily deepening, appears
to have defed astronomic computation till
very recently. For some weeks in June it was
approaching the earth in SO direct line that
the calculations were very difficult The
Berlin ephemeris of its position, brilliancy
and future pathway. so freely published last
month, because SO confidently trusted in this
country, proved to be decidedly fallacious in
some points. In the last few days the meteor
has altered its course and is now more easily
studied but very precise predictions are as
yet premature. 1t now appears that its great
est brilliancy will occur from July 81 to the Sd
of August, and the degree of luminosity will
be between that of Jupiter and that of Venus.
The nucleus will be then seen to the best adj
vantage about twilight the comet being so near
the sun that it will not be so well observed
two or three hours after the latter sinks be-
hind the western horizon. The brightness of
great as it is now.
On Tuesday, the 9th of June, from micro
metrical comparisons with star in the Bonn
catalogue, the distinguished astronomer, J.
r. HIND of Mr.. Bishops observatory, Twick-
enham, England, found that Cogga's comet
was then rather brighter than Highlander S
stars of the sixth magnitude, and the tail was
traceable about two degrees from the nucleus,
which still presented very stellar appearance.
Mr.. Hind also determined that its perihelion
passage would take place on the 9Th of July,
when it's distance from the sun would be
sixty-seven minutes Of the earth's mean dis
tance-i e., about sixty-one million miles.
This seems to be very near the central orb Of
fire; but there are instances of much nearer
approach, as in the comet Of 1850, which
swept within six hundred thousand miles of
the sun. 1t did not however, merge
into the sun, as comets have never been
known to do, contrary to q vague theory that
has been largely entertained, as if the nebu-
lous matter was fuel for its mighty furnaces.
SO far from this rash venturer upon the suns
domains effecting Judgement on his in
candescent and tumultuous surface, it was
subjected to an enormous repulsion, and from
the point of perihelion was shot out into
space with an inconceivable force, far greater
than that with which the solar heat acted
upon and controlled the head of the comet
itself. The amount of this force may be
family indicated when we reflect that the
cometary matter was then glowing with
heat twenty-five thousand six hundred times
as intense as that which RACES at MONDAY
on our Equator-a heat in which any ter
restrial substance known to us would in
stantly be converted into vapor.
The condition of comet, after it has passed
the perihelion, must be very different from
what it was before; but that difference is yet
to be ascertained, except in the mere fact that
from disunion by action of heat the
meteor has undergone great attenuation
and analysis. The comet of $780, to which
we have alluded, and that of 1843, after their
immersion in the suns rays emerged from
them in augmented splendor and with vastly
enlarged tails, as if they had caught up new
supplies oflight and fire from the great lumin-
airy. It would not be, therefore, q great
surprise if Coggia's comet should do the same,
though instances are recorded in which i'm
mersion in the solar rays has stripped the
flying meteor of much Of its glory. The idea
has been expressed that the present comet will
intersect the earths orbit and come in col
lision with us. The opinion prevailed with
Sir John Herschel and others that if ever the
earth swallowed up comet it would be on
the 30th of November, when Biela's comet
approached very near. But there is great doubt
whether, in the event of actual collision any
harm would ensue or even any one be cogni-
zant Of it. The comet is material sub
stance, since it has been proved that it shines
by reflected light; but its tenuousness is
almost inconceivable. The cometic particles
form cosInical fog or vapor so light that,
through Donatis comet, where the tail was
ninety thousand miles thick, the stars clearly
shone. Arcturus was in no degree eclipsed,
as it beamed directly through this enormous
band of mist We may therefore, safely dis
miss the long standing superstition Of
painless comet and q curse
The menace oil the universe.
As we have already intimated, the orbit of
Coggias comet has not been precisely deter
mined. A few days may suffice to reveal its
exact pathway as it nears the Garth.