The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-07-17

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and that it would come 5000 years
henes on another visit, when Donati and
all of us are dead and buried. It is
clear that astronomy has not vet reached
that perfection of calculation which can
furnish the precise travels of a comet.
If comet comes from the depth of
space, as it has been said, and returns
thereto, the journey is not ended. She
must keep forever on the move to fulfill
her evident destiny, and she cannot
stop here or there for refreshments,
cannot turn down lane to see friend,
but must hold on to an allotted track
as evenly as locomotive
Now, as to the tail of the present
comet, it streams, according to Prof.
Parkhurst, &, 600, 600 miles across space
ike an enormous mantle of Brussels
lace. It 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 1911.
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
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 a cows tail and were to whisk
around ever so playfully at this moment
it would take the top off the north pole,
the Bunker Hill monument, and re-
lieve the goddess of liberty from duty
on the summit of the capitol at Wash
ington.
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 Weight. His reason for this state
ment is that you can see the stars
through the matter radiating from the
comet, even close to the nucleus. He
even thinks you might see the star
through the nucleus, only that the light
| of the nucleus destroys it. It would be
curious to observe an enormous cobbie-
stone pavement million miles long,
hung up in the sky ever so high, and
science levelling the spectroscope on
! the singular phenomenon. The tail of
/ the comet, according to the professor,
/ is little more than this, and perhaps he
| is right, for is there not a pathway of
light through the sky ?" as the poets ex-
press it.
This will hardly prove as beautiful or
as large comet as many that have pre-
| ceded it. The one of 1911 was esteemed
! by astronomers as most magnificent
! comet. Its nucleus was 400 and its
| head 112, 600 miles in diameter. It's tail
! was a beautiful fan shape, extending
| 112, 900, 600 mile. It is hight to say
! 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 a lumin-
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.
ene which these bodies present, and
which is still so obscure. According tC
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 SUI
they move very slow in the arc of al
eclipse almost Unreasonable. The SUI
being positive and they deeply negative
it begins to exert controlling influence
over them, and as that attraction IN
creases continually in proportion as tn,
squares of the distance decrease, they
mOv-s wifter and swifter until, as the,
approach the sun, they sometimes fl
more than 800, 600 miles per hour.
At their perihelion they are very nea,
the sun, ard become highly positive
and hence are propelled back again int
fields of space with the same lightning
speed they we're attracted towards thu
great fountain of all motion. The rea
son comets pass out of sight so rapid,
after passing their perihelion is because
they move around the sun in orbit
much more elongated than that of tn,
earth, and when they cross the plane O
the orbit of the earth on their flight t.
regions of space they are then moving
in one direction and the earth in an
other, and as the earth moves at the
rate of $4,000 miles an hour and the
hour, they seem to move much faster
as they soon disappear, while their mo
ton is slower and slower till they ar
arrive at their apheliOn point.
Prof. Chapman believes that there
was an attempt to use the spectroscopt
upon DOnati's comet, and the lines were
believed to indicate carbon. But The
use of the instrument was not very vel
understood in those days, However
with the experience we have since gained
not only in regard to the magnificent
development of the instrument itself
but also in regard to the lines of the
various chemical elements, we are in 81
immensely better position for obseFva
tions-that is, If the comet shines by &
light of ats own. II it merely reflects
the light of the sun we shall get a con
tinuous spectrum without lines at all
In q recent interview Prof. Parkhurs
said, in reference to the comet of 1913
that in that year the Millerites were il
a state of great excitement, as one o.
their prophets had predicted that the
end of the world was at hand, and the
appearance of the great comet in thai
year seemed to justify all that they ha6
said, and great many good and sensi
BILE people who were not hIillerites be.
gan TO DC seriously alarmed. Inc Gomez
Of 1S48 was most brilliant one, an6
was perfectly visible In the daytime
You had only to hold up your hand tc
shield off the sun and the comet could
be plainly seen. Some of my friends
who felt a little uneasy about these
matters came to me, knowing that was
bit of an astronomer, to ask me-
whether thought the comet was really
going to strike the earth and d. stroy it.
[ was then serving my apprenticeship tc
a jeweler in Portland, Me. I went out
of doors and made an observation of the
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