Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-06-29

a Comet of the First Magnitude
viii It strike the EarIha

4 Comet of the First Magnitude
Will It strike the EarIhl
The talk about the immense coIDat which
made its appearance in the northeastern
horizon about the I9sh inst, and was first
seen in Savannah on the 10th, about three
O'Clock In the morning, continues the
subject OF general discussion. Many
persons have sat up until the time an
nounced for its appearance to get an OBJ
seryation. and well have they been repaid.
! Yesterday morning il was plainly obserTa-
/ bic at two o'clock. and presented bril-
liant spectacle II is generally con-
ceded TO be q comet Of the first
magnitude, and its bTiiliaReY, as described
/ by observers, Is far greater than that OF the
BODY whose movements have peen eaicnla-
l ted BY Bigourdan. Its boundary lines are
well defined and eonFerging, and its bed
very distiBet-lGrge, comparatively and
Iumipous-While the April comet was pro
portiOsstelY uuimpOstng and OF moderate
| brillfancy. At 2:30 q. M, which is the most
! favorable moment for observing 1t, its posi-
ton is from II degrees to 10 degrees above
the horizon, and from s. degrees to 40 de-
grees north Of the moon, its motion being IN
server, and very rapid. II lies In the
/ constellation Auriga, about degrees from
Capella. The apparently solid but
luminous centre seems surrounded BY
yaporY mass-the envelope-whieh Is daz-
ziing bright as compared With the nebulous
lustre OF the tall. There Is, when studied
az a power OF 80 diameters, an appearance
Of deep rent In the structure of the en-
yeIope 70 the northeast OF the central mass
I which Is very peculiar aud forms dark
space OF oval contour, with ragged edges.
This phenomenon can be identified with an
| opera glass Of ordinary power, but its fea-
1 lures are not fully developed until aE in
strument OF from 50 to - diameters Is APP
/ piled, when IL assumes the irregularly oval
| fisld or laeuna Of darkness in the midst Of
| the highly luminous envelope. ObseTva-
lions with high powers, from 100 10 600
diameters, develop the usual phenomena,
namely, the resolution OF the envelope,
which 70 the naked eye seems homogeneous,
I into yapory, nebuiOus masses, with inter
vening riffs Of matter apparently more at
tenuated, and resembling the nebula OF
OdoD, as recently photographed BY Prof.
/ Draper The condguration of these Yapory
masses suffers important alterations from
time to time In the course Of an hours OBJ
| servation; non-luminous spaces appear aud
| disappear, aud the vapof seems 70 be the
theatre OF a comparatively rapid movement
I of nebulous masses When viewed with
| high pOWer-say 900 diameter
the centre presents the appearance
/ of a ragged disk, and Of very limited pro-
| portions as compared with its dimensions
when examined with inferior powers. This
| phenomenon, due to the revolving power OF
/ higher lenses, Is accompanied by light In
| the central mass Of such intensity that that
| Of a planet viewed by the telescope is com
paratively dim, showing that small bat
appreciahly dense interior mass forms the
basis Of the expansive field OF nebulous
matter. The curve of the tail, which Is
broader than that of any comet recently OBJ
/ served, Is 70 the northwest. The tail
broadeus very rapidly from the centre out
ward, as compared with similar bodies
described in astronomical records, and is
/ extremely well defOed, springtng from the
outer envelope Of the central mass 1.-THE so
called COMA ike the blade OF Turkish
cimetar from a ieweled handle. The end Of
the tail, as observed on Thursday night, was
between degrees and degrees in breadth,
with length Of from y degrees to % de-
grees.
Il viii not be possible for several days to
obtain accurate computation as 70 the newly
discovered body, or even to settle the claims
| Of the various discoveries. 1T Is probable
that Prof. Henry Draper will furnish photo.
graphs with the new lens, which was so
successfully applied 10 the nebula OF Orion,
as the opportunity for pbotographing is not
one TO be disregarded. The points to be
COMPUTED are the ascension and deelination
! and the comparative luminosity.
WILL 1T STRIKE THE EARTHl
Ga this subject prominent Northern au-
thorfty saws: mo one knew Of the exist
ence OF this comet prior to Tharsday last.
| on the previous Wednesday 1t was invisible
and beyond the range OF the very best tele-
scopes, but in twehtyfour hours It became
as plainly visible as the full moon. This is
susceptible Of no other meaning than that
the comet is rushing directly at the earth,
aud at q tremendous speed. How far 1t is
/ distant from us at this precise moment 1t is
| impossible to tell, but II It's speed is such
/ that In twenty four hours It could apparent
/ " grow from inVisibility to a brilliancy
eelipsing that OF any Of the fixed stars, 1t
| will reach as before many days are over.
eOf late years astronomers have conf
/ IDENTIFY assured us that were comet 70
strike the earth It could do no possible
harm, for the reason that comets consist Of
gas Of extreme tenuity. Little By little,
| however, facts have leaked out which con-
tradict this pleasing theory. While there
are undoubtedly gaseous comets, there are
certainly others having solid nuclei. Then
We are told that accompanying every
comet Is a stream of meteoric bodies,
almost inanite In number, and 1t
Is even held By certain theorists
| that the constant collision between
these meteors and the sun keeps up the
heat OF the latter. II the new comet is
| purely gaseous, It may do US no harm be-
/ Vond suffocating the Inhabitants OF the
/ earth, but II 1t is a solid comet, its blow
/ will inevitably develop heat enough to con-
vert the earth instantaneously into mean
/ descent gas. IL any event, its accompany
/ ing meteors may be expected to pelt us
/ severely, and q continuous hailstorm OF
iron meteorg, Weighing, perhaps, several
\ tons each would do serious damage to
everything on the esrth's SURFACE.
"There is, OF course. chance that the
| comet will not hit the earth. 1t may be
drawn aside by the superior attraction Of
the sun, and may fall into that hitherto be-
/ neflcent body. Such an event would, how
! eyer, give ne very little real satisfaction,
since the SUMS heat Vogld be so enormously
increased by the collision that il wonld burn
up the earth as surely and rapidly as the
cook is burned who kindles her fire with
the kerosene can. Between hitting the earth
and hitting the sun there would be little to
/ choose in the comets conduct. Even were
the moon to deTotedly interpose herself be-
/ tween the earth and the comet, aud to re-
I ceive the blow Of the latter, our destruction
I would be none the less inevitable, for q
/ burning moon would heat us beyond the
/ lkUl.+ Al WHICH, - lO@o1DACs
"Hsd It not been conelaslvely proved that
the prophecy of Mother ShiptOn hxing 1881
as the year in which the world is to come to
an end Is 8 forgery, the unexpected appear
/ auce Of the comet would eonVsft thousands
of people TO full belief In shipt0nism. As
/ Il Is, those curious lulatics who believe
that the end OF the world has been foFetold
l blythe stones of the great pyramid, and that
| this is the last year Of the eaath, will be-
greatly comfoTted By the comet. II will be
| 10 vain to assure them that the universe Is
so managed that the heavenly bodies cannot
run into one another, for they can reply that
meteoric stones do strike the earth, aud that
a comet is simply meteoric stone of extra
size We need not, however, prematurely
alarm ourselves. We have never yet been
hit by comet, and perhaps we never shall
ben
-%--9-%<--
Who has not known some specimen Of
ssthe bold yeomanry, their countrV's pride,"