Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-04-17
About the New Come, and Others.

from the University Observatory at Ann Arbor.
Michigan. 1t Is yet a mere Speck in the tele-
wit soon become more ana more visible. Other
observations and discussions have Indicated
the appearance OF comet visible to the unaid- i
ea eye ABOUT TINS ame out whether this one
like the comets OF 1S43 and 1885, or is one OF less
imposing character, it VIII take some time to
determine. In the case OF the 1855 comet dom 1
aus,] two months elapsed before any Indication /
OF tail could be seen through the telescope
and the nucleus OF the comet was not visible to
the naked eye for three months. During all this
time 1t gave no indication OF the Dr1lliancy it
subsequently displayed. So we must all wait
while the astronomers watch for the probablli-
ties as TO the ultimate importance OF otherwise
OF this celestial stranger.
The subject Is interesting, for comets OF great
magniflcence are not often seen. 1t is more
IMAM twenty-one years since the last, so that
them except what they have heard from the
elders or have read in books. The distant starry
regions are supposed to be alive with them, and
kepler went SO far as to say that the celestial
spaces were as full of comets as the sea is of
fish, only very small proportion Of them COM
Ing within the range OF our telescopes. About
of the christian era to 1875, as being visible to
the naked eye, and about two hundred more
nave come within view OF the telescope since
the invention OF that fnStrument-seven hun.
dred in all, in eighteen hundred and seventy five
years. In the old times, their coming was re-
garded with extreme dread, as omens of some
famine or the death of great rulers, as when
Caesar was killed. Now they are looked for with
eager anticipation as beautiful and interesting
visitors; and. because 1t Is known they can have
no In furious influence on mundane affairs even
though Our earth should pass through comets
tail, as there is reason to believe has frequently
been the case.
OF the comets that have been seen since the
beginning CT the Christian era. some pass away
out of the solar system never to return and
others come back at intervals more or less reg
N1ar CO fI,af fnn INN
COMPUTED with near approach to accuracy.
Those which do return have an immense range
10 their periodic times, from short terms of four,
rye or SIX years to thousands. Thus Encke's
comet. one OF the telescope class, has a period
or revolution OF 1900 days. or about three years
and half, while the great comet OF 1878 Don
ati's), returns at intervals OF about two thou
SAND years. Doubtless there are some whose
periods of return are smaller than Enckes, and
others that stay away for centuries longer than
Donati's. The first near approach to a correct
calculation OF the period of a remarkable comet
occurred with reference to that of 1892, named
after the astronomer HALEY. He noticed that
Its computed orbit conceded very nearly with
that OF comet observed in 1907. Tracking
further back, he found somewhat similar re-
cord for 1881, and another for 1856 This last
mentioned was the comet whose appearance
caused such widespread terror throughout
Christendom in the Pontiicate OF Pope Calyx-
tus. 1t was because OF the prayers tor protec-
ton against the Turks and the comet ordered
by this Pontiff that the popular but erroneous
notion arose that he issued ''a bull against the
comet AS the dates above mentioned showed
the return OF one or more cOmetary bodies at
regular intervals of about IS years, HALEY con-
cluded the several appearances to relate to one
ana the same body, and that it was the one OBJ
served in 1852; and he predicted it's return
about l15s. BY this time, however. more was
KNOWN or the influences OF the planetary bodies
or the solar system, and this knowledge was
brought to bear on the computations and it
was calculated by Ciairaut that its return
would be delayed SIS days. This proved to be
fairly correct, for the comet did not pass It's
perlhelion until the 18th OF March, 1889. Calcil-
lat1ons We're then made for its next appear
ance. aud De POntecoulant predicted its return
TO perihelion November -, 1885, which was
right within three days. And this is wonder
fnl result when 1t is considered that the comet
Is a seen out for little while, once In about 10
years, and that during its long absence it passes
more than 600 000, 600 miles away-far beyond
me orbit OF the telescope planet Neptune, the
outside sentinel OF the solar system. The
PERIODS and orbits OF many comets have been
quite accurately determined since iIalleys day.
and some OF them are nearly as well known as
those OF the planets.
OF the remarkable comets of recent DAYS
thIee may be more particularly mentioned
those OF ls43 and 1853 and Bieias-the first two
because OF their beauty and splendor, and the
last on account OF remarkable circumstances
connected with its history. The comet OF 1873
may be remembered by any one forty five years
old. 1t appeared first in February OF that year.
borhood OF the sun, and was in view until April.
While 1t was, of course brilliant only at night,
II was visible In fun daylight, and 1t passed
nearer to the sun than any recorded BODY ever
known. Its period was calculated by Prof. HUI
bard, OF Washington, at five hundred and thirty
years, and this makes 1t difficult TO understand
stranger just reported from Ann Arbor is the
same with the comet OF 1918. as some of the
newspaper claim, On The alleged authority OF
Professor Pierce.
magnificent Of modern times. ANY man or
woman Of twenty eight to thirty, and upward.
may remember iU. IL was first seen June I'd, OF
that year. by Donati, at Florence, and In the
same month"; independently, by several AmerI
can observers among whom was Miss Mitchell.
AS already remarked, il took three months to
october, four and halt months after It's first
discovery by the telescope, that it reached its
highest bliliiance. Thea its tail extended forty
degrees-frOm near the horizon one-ouarter
Way across the sky. 1t was ten degrees-or
twenty times the diameter Of the moon-in
width, at its outer end, and was OF beautiful,
feather-like form. Unless some enterprsing
amateur astronomer ShortenS the period OF his
splendid meteor, its next appearance is not
likely TO be reported in the LedGer until the
year 1865, Tor its period is computed to be nine
teen hundred add fifty years.
Biela's Is the only other remarkable comet We
need mention In these memoranda, and this be
cause OF Its eyenJful history. 1t was first Spect-
ally observed In 1925 by the Austrian astrono-
10 1i,2, and its period OF revolution was found
10 DE six years and eight months. Between
lcZo anu 1910, however,, Oh It's TWO intervening
returns 1t was not seen because OF the unfayor
able position OF the earth In its orbit IN No
Vemter and December OF 1s45 however f1 was
visible at the computed time and In its usual
form. for different comets vary very much in
shape. But In January following the sharp-
eyed astronomers then On duty at the Naval
observatory at Washington, observed that it
had suffered an accident OF kind never before
noticed. The comet had split into two paris
and in a few weeks they were 900. 900 mIlp3
apart At the next return, in 1852, the comet
was still divided with an estimated distances
OF a million and hall Oh miles between lis
parts. In 1889 and 1865 the relative positions OF
the earth and the divided cometary bodies were
such as TO prevent observations; but in 1872 al.
Things were favorable; but they could not be
seen where they ought to be. Seemingly they
mad vanished. Since then it has been reasOnl
Oily well established that they have been dis
persed into train of meteors many millions or
miles In length, which at intervals gives rise to
the meteorlc displays about the thirteenth OF
November, when their track is across the orbit
OF the earth and our planet passes through the
trail. This brings us to the subject of the com.
position OF comets, whether they are Simply
gaseous bodies or made up OF aggregationS OF
extremely minute particles OF solid matter but
that Is too large subject for the close OF an art
lcle like thiS.-Pitld. Ledger.
Modern British Regicides.
nrx THE Cornhill;l
o. Durlng Louis Ph1lfppe's reign and the four
or uyNfc