, 1874-07-09
The Cn1rda1 Appendngcs Of Comets
Simply "Ll1cifcro.ls Ether"
MIR. rarllhurst, Of New York, Estimates
That We Shall Escape lie C0ni- .
cts Inii by Distance Of
1,50O,O00 Miles.
N.+,+ur71 1tS1y 1871

II MERE THEORY,
md, in nnttors theoretical, we arc apt to juno
nj CONCLUSIONS and thou pursue our inveBl1ea-
lions In conformity to them. For instance, one
concludes TINT tho religion OF certain scot is the
true ono; from that standpoint ho reads Ills
Bib1o and succeeds In proving 1t to his on
tire satisfaction. Tho greatest popularity Of
comets Ia their tai1s, aud Professors hayo
jumped at the conclusion thnt these inlmonso,
far-roachiug taila are actual substance; hence
thoy aro much exercised coucerning tho result
Of tho now visible comet swinging Ills tail
through the region Of the soIar systoua. E. Col
hort, in a rccout article In TIE TRIBUNE, las 1t
that "At ovcry periholion passage. whoihor
about our Run or some othor stur," comet will
tcayo Il portion OF Its substance behind and thus
In time bocomo dinintegrated. Agaiu: II. If.
partLurst informs us that, about the 22d inst.,
The .nil Of the comet ia lscy to strike the earth;
that portion Of ta tail may DO torn OF by both
lho Garth and tho moon, etc. will crudolY give
few points Of what 1 conhidor q far more
reasonable theory OF comots than my heretofore
Rdynnoed to my knowledge, aud would like that
somebody With the means and opportunity might
investigate 1t from that standpoint.
III the first place, I hold that tho tails Of
comets
HAvE NO ACTUAL EXISTENCE;
TINT no moro tail il attacheu to them thnn
there is to tho moon or any OF tho planeta :
tho apparetlt tait ia produced By tho rays OF tho
sun. Tho comet beiug body Of atmosphere, o
E'opo, tno oa tme ~ .aMas, nu 1,
right Oh through it. BY tho friction thus undor-
gone they become hoatcd, md consequently pro.
cn,diIi thnso rnys Icava t,n co,uot md u1 noss
~ "t s,nco ramo;,i1 ;u;ho W iou1 4a -. tos t1"os
rotain tl,n liant and thxa fnr1nirr tha hS so.cnie3
;one.'s suil.- the vurIace Of tLe comet being
snnv"x wt;rh t,,rns to rsva tnwnrsla 's
fncne Tina carsiur tha fronnent fa,, ,,.al,nneI
tu'ia inl1 I'M enmot i. III f;rst on,1ra,i
slato If a nla,,st :: tIat cou,ats do not nrocecd
hoyoul tho nuIer systen lint. wlian fnr
s%ar fron tl,o a,,,' ,i,sv hncnmo cnn1o"saa ma i
nnrc .,o,y,v i}r,nc thor amalI anJ s;t,r,.tad
rlore tha rova ~ in snn apo scotiar;,1 ~ ;nA
snt,;riant nnhor w;iI mas t,romoh tiIan, ~ ~
v;nii1;ty In this cop,l,on .o Ihov sra at}ract"d
H. tho a., ard hn,;n ra".,;,,. to,"r,. - tri,a
neornr I'm cnnct 9c,s tn Tia .nn 9io mara r.,s
n ,,I onoou,,,or. ~" n,ora ;nxn .,'.t ,a .ayn
ihronn, T. tha n,,ro Ioot M, ,ci,t ~ vi, rnss
prato tic mo1o heated It becoics, tho grestor
n,n,o rava + - III reaeh. the more hrant II vii
=" n,ai fne lnntter mil mnra um;nona vii h -" ;t
so.cnIIcd tail. nj lant IL hccnn,na nn i,,aau.a;,
heated nnd expanded as to cause a cbanno in Tia
law IRON nttruct,nn In renuis,nr. and ti,1a
Tn lin courae Of limo. this ntnnRnl,orio c1oha
viii form IN Opaque nucleus, and cummouce M.
EofbinE portion Of tho suns rays, thoy being
pass4clea ~ taA!5e1; AZ lncfoahe N tile bulk or
sa nuun .;''u "ia sool W eons.uny golns on.
bran that tia cnnot camo IN contart ,s,tI'
1netepr or lragmont Of brolsou-up planet, tho
attractive folco being sufficient to coini}uo t'oa.
arc abaorbctl, shade is coated Opposite t. from
the sun, thus yiBibly maku. the comet holtow
coue. und apparently dividing It's tail IN the
manner well described by AIR. Colbert Tho ro-
i ~.
tuwards tho sun, il attributable to roflectiou.S
to uucous, or portion Of II. leinr Of n
reflective nature, returning tic SUMS fays in a
heated, aud, theiafore, visible coudit,on, In the
direction whence tloy came, and t1uu formiup
Tho apparent luil III IN opposite direction from
tho others. The curvature of q cumeta tail ia
also ouly apparent, aud III owing 10 Tho unglo it
occupies 10 the eve OF tie boiolder; viewing an
uDteCt obllque!y through tho at atunos2hore chanpea
tu come extent tho true representation.
From the above it witt i,c noticed that
OF this theory li1eteut from otters ia TINT tha
hoat anu light Of the suu we experionce-and
just NOW 10 plsntifully-do not directly como
from tue h,,n but nro effected by bis rva coming
in cortact and ]asainsjthrougli our atnosuho,ee'
aud Tint similar o.fec!s arc produced wherovor
tiore IL atmosphere, which IL tho ease Will
cuuets. LonEszo ltASK.
'Eror. Vaughan OIL the Tniis OF Comets,
A reporter of the Cincinnati Commercial. llus
bad MI interview with Prof. Naughau-an emlp-
nnt scientist of tl,at ctv-on t1,o srhioct NJ tho
.,,a t..,., .,..u. - H.. ~. .s. ~ '"o
coWet ant, 1IoW teFort OF tuas interview, We
take tho following
1,o,,,tor ,r,at i. ill., III, -,
is1fe S;a.'.. q 1r.n sne ~ " T. tualets
% mot, ~ ,.e;a 17r , ~ slGat a'orslty OF
opinion OIL t'lis: from tlie rapldlty with which
It moves When the comet III III tho vicinity OF the
Bnn it scon,s impossible 10 beIioyo that It con-
BIstu Of ordinary NATTER Prof 9'ymjall nhomt
t,rn vours mn n1fynnrc t1,oi,ioo mai IT, - II @
rS,t'"nI i H.. nt,n, i.;a,, g.. t"s ~, tto tat WIS
piooaeeu ~ .no "It!on ~ "n4Gn ,Ao HsAs e3erta IN
Phsb1h2 thfoueH Inc heaa ot tlio comet aud tho
ncbulo1s matter Which surrounds it. 'TAiH tho
orY bus bccu objected to Oh tho ground that tho
cunlutary mAttor should eytet1d opnr rurv
mi1Lnnh sometimes over i'm md i'm mi ~ n,aa'
e. tr;s u,"w" of ia ,n,n"",a' , r nnea.
49, t'''1 o'"ho ~ NV t"lotf!o" tna reporter
hnppei;ed 70 lemo'abor q pamphlet written by
Irof. fauEhan ~ 1888, IN Witch he published
slGUry ycIy HnAr to tint advanced by Prof.
ft,,o ,ro,, o,,,tI,1