Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1874-03-28
COMETS AND
What Prof. Proctor Knows concerning
frnpsc Extraordinary Phenomena

the mysterious faculty of COM .
no from fatLomless depths OF sp ce, f..
far journeys which must have lasted =
,vcr millions of years, rushing up to- =
ward tue sun, passing around hun, and {,
hen passing away with no hint as to :
What depth Of space they will fly to, and {
vet we are compelled to associate with
hem bodies like meteors so small IN d. :
meFsjon that a child could in many cases
carry them. The most important facts
in relation TO comets are, that they
come from outer space, and after travel
ing almost directly toward the sun for
"a long period Of time circle around
him, and pass away again into the
depths of space and strange as 1t
seems their motions first gave astrono-
mers a proof that there was no resist
ING the truth of the law Of gravity.
Newton's comet, as the comet OF 1850
is called, was chosen by that astrono-
mar to demonstrate the theory Of gray
itation. He discovered its precise
nath, predicted its motion, and, as he
had prophesied, it came directly toward
the SUP, and when within the sixth part
Of the suns diameter it C relied around
h m aud then passed away on a track
precisely like that on which it had ar
rived. Like all other comets of dis
tinction it had a long tail, and as 1t APP
preached the sun that tail extended
away from the sun, and was then car
ried behind the comet but as the comet
passed around the sun a long tail, 3D.
600. GOO miles in extent, was seen, no
longer carried behind the comet, but
travelling now in front of it, and IN a
dav or two that comet was lost sight Of,
that long tail was thrown out.
Halley's comet, which appeared IN
1885, was one of the most noted, and
the changes in the shape of its neucleus
which gradually formed itself into an
almost perfect crescent and afforded
rare opportunities for observation. Al
tor passing around the sun itreappeared
without a tail and only to be distin-
guished from a star by its position and
course, but seemedto struggle to throw
out a new tail, and during the five weeks
which il was visible increased seventeen
times in volume. From this comet and
the observations which were made of
its various phases astronomers were able
to deduce the Theory that the tail Is a
gas which, like the vapor of water, is
invisible when the temperature mounts
above q given point, but which becomes
visible when condensed.
Lexel's comet, named after the as
tronomer who discovered it, had a
period of five and one-half years, and
astronomers thought that from it they
would discover many hitherto unknown
facts in reference to these mysterious
visitors, but it was never seen again,
o. led from its course aud sent into
the realm of space. Astronomers traced
it back and calculated its path and
found that the same hand which sent
that comet away had introduced 1t,
That comet, in 1867, approached quite
close oJupiter-so close, in fact, as tt
intrnde itself among its satellites
Jupiter compelled it to follow another
course. At the end of eleven yeas,
the comet having made two revolutions
and Jupiter one, it was again seized by
Jupiter and sent outside the solar sys
TEN. But still there is n point about
this comet of Lexel worth notice. l
had gone into the midst Of JUPITER
satellites. The satellites are not large
objects, and if the comet had any mass
lie could disturb them but instead Of
that all those satellites are still travel
ing the path they had before that come
had arrived, and we learn, therefore
that the comet at any rate was mer
yapOr aud had no power or weight
although it was much larger even thai
Jupiter.
Eucke's comet, as the comet of 184,
is called, travels the shortest period o
any comet we knew of-three and one
half years-aad permits such close oh
~seIvotion that it has been determines
exactly how much it is retarded by tn
ether which fills space, and this yer
retardJ tion, by subjecting it NOR
strongly to the influence of the sun
gives it a greater actual velocity, Will
its orbit continually diminishes j
size.
Biela's comet was discovered in 1896
and a period of six years and cigh
months was assigned to it. Its pat
crossed that of the earth, and many pei
sons thought that in 1882 q c~ollisio
would follow which would work inca
culable evil, but that result did not Ell
sUe, and nothing was seen Of it unit
1916, when it was found travelling on ii
usual path, and, to the great a~stonisf
ment of astronomers, it was announce,
that the comet had divided into tw
paris, each having a distinct head an.
nucleus-in fact, two separate comet
travelled along, side by side, and th
strange circumstance was noted tina
they interchanged light; sometimes on
and sometimes the other was brighter
as if there we're communication betwee
them. They were a kind OF Siames
twins. They passed into space. and as
tronomers thought they could waite
them again and ascertain how they wei
separated, but they were never see
again.
DJnati's comet, which appeared j
1853, had two and at times three dil
tinct tails, the principal n curved
the others straight, and this the speake
explained somewhat deliberately by sta
lug that repulsion in this case did nc
take place instantly /; that the head {
the comet consisted of two kinds Q
matter-ons WIS ie3elled with model
ate velocity, very great but moderat
by COMPARISON, aud the other repelle
with great velocity, and so swept off il
70 a straight line. 1t would be man
fest, that being the case, since ther
was Il separation of the matter in til
comets tai that if the comets lea
was complicated in structure ther
would be an intermixture of the tw
kinds of matter, aud the portion MOI
readily repealed would escape the fri
and would form the straight tail.
For a long time meteors were locke
on as phenomena Of our atmosphere
but facts began to be observed whic
led to a different conclusion. One fac
was that the moteors occurred in show
ers on certain days, as for instance th,
showers Of November IL, which are col
eulated with the most wonderful aeon
racy. The period of the meteor streams
is a third Of a century. That was the
actual time when the last great display
took place, Arngo being II of the as.
Tonomers who described it most close