The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-07-18

Now, as to the tail of the present
comet, it streams, according to Prof.
Parkhurst, g, 0O0, 900 miles across space
like an enormous mantle of Brussels
lace. 1t resembles the Milky Way. !
with more milk in it-that is to say,
it is more condensed. 1t spreads like
fan, and in that respest resembles the
comet of 1871.
People ignorant of astronomy and lit
tie given to the study of the heavens.
except when they want to find out when |
it is about to rain, have an idea that |
the tail of comet is like the tail of a |
COW, whisking around in warm weather |
when coming rather close to the sun, |
moon and earth, and hanging down |
straight and quickly when passing
through the milky way. If the tail of
this comet had anything like the solidi-
ty of cows tail and were to whisk
around ever so playfully at this moment
it would take the top off the noiSh pole,
the Bunker Hill monument, and re-
lieve the goddess of liberty from duty
on the summit of the capitol at Wash.
iDgton.
Another erroneous idea, that must be
corrected, is that comets are a sort of
celestial maniacs or fanatical reformers,
bucking against the established order of
the universe and racing around space
to brighten conservatism and earn a
cheap notoriety. Prof. Chapman says
that comet is merely a collection of
small particles of matter, about the size
of meteorites. from an ounce to a pound
in eight. His reason for this state
ment is that you can see the stars
through the matter radiating from the
nl n 10 10
even thinks you might see the star
through the nucleus, only that the light
of the nucleus destroys 1T. 1t would be
| curious to observe an enormous cobble-
stone pavement million miles long,
hung up in the sky ever so high, aud
/ science dwelling
: - tia pfief IdTTd 2 y rtssI %
I the comet, according tonne professor,
is little more than this, and perhaps he
is right, for is there not pathway of
light through the sky ?" as the poets ex-
| press it.
This will hardly prove as beautiful or
as large a comet as many that have pre-
coded it. The one of 1911 was esteemed
| by astronomers as a most magnificent
comet. It's nucleus was 400 and its
head 112, 900 miles in diameter. Its tail
was beautiful fan shape, extending
I
that among the numerous comets OBJ
served up to the present time, either
with the naked eye or by means of tele-
scopes, the majority are distinguished
by nebulosity surrounding the nu-
cleus, and a great number, especially OF
the most brilliant ones, possess lumln-
Gus train or tail.
The diversity of aspect will perhaps
some day enable astronomers to class
comets into genera, species and varie-
ties, and will doubtless facilitate the
perfection Of the theory of the phenom-
ena which these bodies present, and
which is still so obscure. According to
Prof. Spoor, of Rochester, comets are
} controlled by the same specific law
which governs planets of the solar sys'
tenn. When in their orbits thousands
of millions of miles away from the snr
they move very slow in the arc of al
eclipse almost Unreasonable. The sur
, being positive and they deeply negative
) it begins TO exert a controlling influence
over them, and as that attraction in
creases continually in proportion as thu
: squares of the distance decrease, theI
) movs wifter and swifter until, as the,
approach the sun, they sometimes fl,
more than 500, 900 miles per hour
, At their perihelion they are very nea
} the sun, aud become highly positive
and hence are propelled back again int,
! fields of space with the same lightning
l speed they were attracted towards tn
great fountain of all motion. The rea
son comets pass out of sight so rapid
9 after passing their perihelion is becaus
i they move around the sun in orbit
: much more elongated than that of tn
d earth, and when they cross the plane c
a the orbit of the earth on their flight
e regions of space they are then movin
: in one direction and the earth in al
other, and as the earth moves at tn
IS rate of $4,000 miles an hour and til
+ comets at the rate of ZOO, 600 miles a
1t hour, they seem to move much taste
1, as they soon disappear, while their m'
l. ton is slower and slower till they a
Is arrive at their aphelion point.
2 Prof. Chapman believes that thel
e was an attempt to use the spectroscoI
er upon Donati's comet, and the lines wei
3 believed TO indicate carbon. But II
r use of the instrument was not very we
If understood In those days. Howeve
If with the experience we have since game
7. not only in regard to the magnificel
r development of the instrument itsel
le but also in regard to the lines of IL
IN various chemical elements, we are in 6
as immensely better position for observ
Of tions-that is, if the comet shines by
I'd light of Its own. III it merely rehec
he the light of the sun we shall get n co
IN tinuous spectrum without lines at al
IT In recent interview Prof. Parkhur
er said, in reference to the comet of 1874
Id that in that year the Millerites were
N q state of great excitement, as one
r. their prophets had predicted that Il
In end of the world was at hand, and Il
m appearance of the great comet in tn
IL year seemed to justify all that they la
al said, and a great many good and sens
at bic people who were not Millerites
is gan to be seriously alarmed. The com
e. of 1S48 was a most brilliant one, al
al was perfectly visible in the day-tim
o. You had only to hold up your hand
ty shield off the sun and the comet cou
~ be plainly seen. Some of my fffen
ee who felt a little uneasy about the
Ga matters came to me, knowing that l "
y, bit of an astronomer, to ask L
d. whether / thought the comet was real
going to strike the earth and d stroy
I was then serving my apprenticeship
a jeweler in Portland, Me. ] went o
as of doors and made an observation of t.
re motion of the comet. / did not obser
yh it more than fifteen minutes and / h
ht no instruments, but what / saw CO
IL WINGED me that the comet would n
at come near the earth. So I told u
1s friends that they need not feel no mo
en- anxiety on that account, for whatev
m else might destroy the earth it certai
Id ly would not be the comet.
x Vary the Feed OF Swine.