The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-09-17
TIE GREAT COMET OF 1851.
Unknown Heretofore, twill Not Re
turn for Thousands of Years, IL ever
what was Lsarned eft.
Philadelphia Ledger .

Philadelphla Ledger
Hsvsrford College Observatory, Ninth
Month, 81, lSSl.--The grea, comet (comet
B, 1881 being now, except in telescopes, a
thing of the past, 1t may be we'll to gather
together the results obtained BY different
scientific men from their studies of it. The
comet was seen by the naked eye in south
America and Australia at least month be-
fore IL was observed here. The northern
observations may be divided into (D meas
urements of position by mircrometer and
transit Instruments; ~ drawings, showing
It's physical appearance and changes, made
by the aid of telescopes of good defining
power; 10y speetroscOpic observations, for the
purpose of ascertainiog its structure and
chemical composition; (4) photographs.
The frat ofthese was for the purpose OF
gaining data for computation of lis orbit.
The results, so far rs at present deduced,
show that the comet movee 10 psraholn,or
in very much tla,tened eclipse, and that If
teyer returns ii viii only be after the lapse
of thousands of yesrs. They also show that
il it has ever boon here before there is no
record of ii 80 we'll authenticated as to iden4
1907 has elements which very much resemble
those of our recent visitor But Bessel, one
of the most reliable aud careful of comput-
ers, gave it an orbit which would not bring
IL around again till after the lapse of about
1900 years, and the points of disaimilsrity
are too great to be reconciled go that the
identity Of the two is certainly not establish
ed. II has been suggested With great plNus-
Utility that they were originally connected,
and that, ss in the case of Biolss
comet, in 1916, they have parted cons
pany, and got so fer separated that one pre-
cedes the other by period of soyenty-four
years. The intimate connection between
meteors aud comets makes all kinds of Inc
ferenoes from ono to the other jusli6able,
and it il certain that meteoric bodies chase
each other round and round in similar or.
bits and that they ere probably formed by
the disruption Of great cometa. Our Genet
may then DO fractional psrt of a still
greater comet, which long ago was forced by
some Internal CONFUSION to shift for itself,
and which has siucs followed the wake of its
parent through space.
The second class Of observations were
those going into tho details of its physical
appearance. They have shown that violent
forces have been continually acting within
and rendered the disruption theory prob
able. The Cincinnati observers at one time
announced It's split. But by the time other
observers had the opportunity to examine
the difference was hosled, or the smaller
member had faded away, SO Gs not TO fescc
the dignity OF separate comet. Great
streams of luminous gns would issue from
the nucleus. Envelopes would form them-
SELVES around il and he d,sslpated, The
masses of haze surrounding II would show
ever-chsEging shspes, and all appearances
would indicate strong fercss operating
within its mass, which forceg wore stirred
into life by approach 10 the sun aud dimin-
ish9d by recession.
The spectroscopi1 observations have given,
in tho words If William Higgins, the great
English suthoity in this line Of work, the
following results: Part of the light from
comets 10 reflected solar light, and another
part ia light Of their own. The spectrum
Of this light shows the presence in the comet
Of carbon, possibly in combination with
hydrogen" The nucleus is probably solid
and reflects solar light, just as the moon
does, while the stresmers, the envelopes, and
the tail are masses of carbon or hydro-carbon
gases, emitting light of their own.
Such ia brief summary of results OBJ
tanned from this productive comet Never
was one more carefully observed or by better
oO,ervers or instruments. Nothing new al
to comets in general has been obtained, BIZ
old theofies have been established ana {
mass of observations taken which some day
will much assist in settling tho etill eng
matical question as to what the origin
nature and purpose Of comets are.