Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-03-17
The GreatCOmet Of IS 43.

The following extract from Prot.
Peirce's lecture on comets and me-
teors contains a description OF the
wonderful comet of 1S43, Of which
Gould's comet is supposed 10 be a
temperance
about noon on the 2Sth OF
February, 1S43, groups of people in
many of the towns of New England,
especially in Portland, Me-, collect
ed at the corners of the streets, gaz-
ing up towards the sun. Protect
ing their eyes in the shadows of the
houses they saw brilliant object
close to the sun. Such marvel
GUS spectacle had never before been
seen. A thoughtful sea captain,
Mr.. Clarke, brought out his sextant,
and repeatedly measured the dis
lance Of the strange object from the
limb of the sun. These unique OBJ
servations are on record, and, sub
mitted to rigid criticism, attest the
accuracy Of the observer. In about
a week from this time a wonderful
ly brilliant tail of comet was seen
skirting the horizon soon after sun
set, and reaching more than one
third Of the way round the sky. 1t
was now tail without head, as
it was at first head without tail
but they were members Of the same
comet.
/" The best determination OF its
path was accomplished by the dis
tinguished astronomer - Sears O.
Walker. AT its perihelion it pass
ed nearer the sun than any known
comet, with the single exception of
that of 1850, computed by Sir Isaac
Newton, and in the discussion OF
which in the Principal he preached
the first approximation to the true
theory of the cometary tail. These
two comets approached so close to
the sun that it would seem quite
possible that they touched its sur
face, or, at least, swept in nearer
than the solar corona. 1t would
not have beeA an absurd hypothesis
that they were eJected from the sun
at the time Of penetration, had it
not been for the fact that the comet
OF 1850 was seen on its way down
| TO the sun, and for the remarkable
phenomenon which we are about to
describe concerning the comet of
1S43. 1t may be claimed as a not
impossible hypothesis that each of
these comets was at some former
time the product of solar eruption
in accordance with Buffron's theory
OF the origin of comets. 1t would
only involve force which would
double the greatest velocity given
to the solar field of hydrogen.
But juster Interpretation of
the phenomenon, and one which
avoids the necessity of an extrava-
CANT volcanic action, is to be found
in the relation between the comets
and the meteors. 1t is simply the
splash of the falling meteors. In
about an hour and half the comet
of 1S43, like that of 1880, went
round the sun from one side to the
other. What would have become of
the tail, which was reaching out
about 1O0,0O0,OOO of miles from
the sun TO the earth's orbit ? There
have been those who have actually |
adopted the incredible, may say
the impossible, hypothesis that the
tail rotated through this immense
circuit, developing a centrifugal force
which all the united powers Of the
universe could not have sustained.
MOI The comet practically left its
tail behind it, and began to grow a
new tail as it receded from the sun.
"There were thus two tails near
ly side by side. The new tail was
distinguished because 1t commenced
at the h cad of the comet, whereas
the old deserted tail began without
any head at some distance from the
nucleus, and extended further from
the sun than the new tail. That
such should be the phenomena of
this comet was suggested by ge-
ometer, without knowing that it had
been actually observed. 1t was as
vertible and honest prediction as
if it had been made previous to the
observation. A double tail, was
observed on the first four nights af-
ter the comets appearance at noon
day. The visible separation of the
two tails only lasted for few days.
because the earth passed almost at
once into the plane OF the comets
orbit, so that one tail ecllpsed the
ether."- Boston AdUertiSer.
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