The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1880-04-15
JACKSON OHIO, THURSDAY, APRIL Is,

/ limb OF the sun. These unique OBJ
servations are on record, and, submit
ted to rigid criticism, attest the accur-
acy Of the observer In about aweek
from this time a wonderfully brilliant
tail Of the comet was seen skirting the
horizon after sunset, and reaching
more than one-third Of the way round
the sky. tits now a tail without a
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
distinguished astronomer, Sears 0.
Walker. At its perhelion it passed
nearer the sun than any known comet
with the single exception Of that of
1880, computed by Sir Isaac Newton,
and in the discussion of which in the
Principia he broached the first approx
imation to the true theory Of the
cometary tail These two comets ap-
preached so close to the sun that it
would seem quite possible that they
touched its surface, or, at least, swept
in nearer than the solar corona. It
would not have been an absurd hy-
pothesis, that they were elected from
the sun at the time of penetration,
had it not been for the fact that the
comet of 1880 was seen on its way
down to the sun, and for the remarkable
phenomenon which we are about to
describe concerning the comet of 1913.
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
Buttons theory Of the origin of COM
cts. 1t would only involve a force
which would double the velocity given
to the solar field Of hydrogen. But a
juster Interpretation of the phenome-
on, and one which avoids the necessity
of an extravagant volcanic action, is
to be found in the relation between
the comets and the meteors. 1t is
simply the splash Of the falling me-
teors In about an hour and half the
comet of 1913, like that of 1850, went
round the sun from one side to the
other. What would have become of
the tail, which was reaching out about
100, 100000 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, develop
ing centrifugal force which all the
united powers of the universe could
not have sustained. No! The comet
practically left its tail behind it, and
began to grow new tail as it receded
from the sun. There were thus two
tails nearly side by side. The new
tail was distinguished because it COM
menced at the head of the comet,
whereas the old deserted tail began
without any head at some distance
from the nucleus, and extended furth-
er from the sun than the new tail.
That such should be the phenomena
of this comet was suggested by a
geometer, without knowing that it
had been actually observed. 1t was
as verltable and honest prediction as
if it had been made previous to the
observation. A double tail was OBJ
served on the first four nights after
the comets appearance at MONDAY.
TIE visible separation of the two tails
only lasted for few days, because
the earth passed almost at once into
the plone Of the comets orbit, so that
one tail eclipsed the other