The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-08-27

pain Dy the disturbing influence VI OIdH-
us, or else-whats Only two other the
cries are available. Trace back the COM
cts path in imagination, round and round
that oval path which carries it across
nowhere else brings it within millions of
miles of any possible disturbing infiu-
ences. Rejecting the earth as insufficient
in attractive might Tor, at least, so infe-
ri6 to Uranus as to leave US in no doubt
in selecting between the two), we have
only during the past of the comet, as
SO traced, the planet Uranus to which we
can refer it. We have rejected the at
tractive influence of Uranus; but two
other influences remain. Eruptive action
in former sun-like state-an action cor
responding to the eruptive processes
known to be taking place in the SUMS
one possible origin. The mind of man,
unapt though it is to deal with time-in-
tervals SO enormous as are required to
transmute giant orb from the sun-like
to the planetary condition, may yet ac-
cept this Interpretation, if no other pre-
sents itself which is not still more appall-
ing. Only one other, as it seems to us,
remains, and this compels US to contem-
plate time-intervals compared with which
those required to change Uranus from
sun to planet seem insignificant If, as
we are taught by the nebular hypothesis
of the solar system, or, in fact, by any
theory of it's evolution whatever, the
planet Uranus was once in vaporous
condition, extending as mighty rotating
disc far beyond its present sphere, and
probably far beyond the path of its outer
most satellite, we may conceive comet
arriving from outer space to be captured
by the resistance Of the once vaporous
planet, not by it's mere attractive force
But to what result have we thus been
led? If we accepted this view rather
than the theory that Uranus had ex-
PEELED the comet, we should have first
to carry our thoughts back almost to the
very beginning of our solar system, and
then to recognize at this inconceivably
distant epoch comets travelling from
sun to sun, and some of them coming
from other suns toward ours to be cap
tured from time to time by the resist
ance of the vaporous masses out of
which the planets of our system were
one day to be evolved
We do not know how the questions
raised by such thoughts should be an
swered, although, as has been elsewhere
shown, there is more evidence in favor
of the theory Of expulsion than of
the other two theories just sketched
But we have reason to feel assured, as
we contemplate comet like that which
now adorns our skies, that could we
learn its history, a practical infinity of
time would be brought before us as the
aggregate of the time intervals we should
have to deal with. Nor is the marvel of
the comet diminished by what we have
learned from observation or from mathe-
NAUTICAL analysis. We have found that
the tracks of comets are followed by
countless millions of meteoric bodies, and
thus the strangest thoughts-of in
finity of space occupied by infinite num-
bers of cosmical bodies aggregating
toward multitudinous centers during in
finlty of timc-are suggested to us. The
telescope has shown us wonderful proc
esses taking place during the comets
approach to the sun, and, most wonderful
process of all, the repulsion of the
vaporous matter in the tail as though
to assure us that the expelling
power of suns is even more matched by
the repelling power they exert on por-
tions of cometic matter brought in GER
tain conditions under their influence.
Analysis by the spectroscope, that won
derful instrument which astronomy owes
to kirchhoff, has taught us much respect
ing cometic structure, showing that the
light of the nucleus is that of glowing
solid or liquid Tor of matter rejecting
sunllghD, the light of the coma that
mainly Of glowing vapor, while in the
tail these two forms of light are com
bined. And polariscopic analysis speaks
with equal clearness of the composite
nature of cometic structure. But when
all this has been said we are little nearer
to the solution of the mysterious prob
lens which comets present to us. They
still teach us, as they have so long
taught, that "there are more things in
heaven and earth than are dreamed Of
in our philosophy."-The Spectator.