New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-13
Results or W4rcHIyG THE COMET

PROFESSOR DRAPER's CONFERENCE.-The COMET
NOT DIyIDHD-sPECULAIIoN ABOUT TIE FATE
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Professor Draper is gathering the usual harvest
which publicity yields in the shape of multitude
o letters FROM strangers in all parts of the country
ON" man sent four posjage-stamps from Cheyenne
wyoming. with request that the Professor would
send hiin Photograph OF the comet at his earliest
convenience. Dr. lrapers correspondence with
several English men Of science, however, promises
70 be of considerable interest lie is in coinmunica
ZION, a5 tie same time, with Professor Young, of
Irmc'ton, whose experiments with the spectroscopc
Dr Draper believes 20 he furt her confederation Of
his OWN conclusions.
One question Professor Draper declares he has
settled forever. Last Thursday in phOtographng
the spectrum 0f very bright yoltaic are he exposed
his iacc fer time to the electric light, and the
consequence was a "sun-hurncd" face that camo
very near continuing him TO his room for twenty-four
hours. Whatever may be true of the spectrum, he
is certain that the electric light viii burn The skin
comparison Of the spectrum of the yoltaic arc
with that Of the comet confirms DR.. Diapers
opinion that there IS some compound of carbon in
the comet. lie IS not ready to conclude from the
fact that the hydrocarbons the earth all the
result of decayed organic matter that the hydro
carbons in the comet necessarily of the same
origin, since the conditions in n body SO highly
heated are mucn modified, and indeed. hSdr0-car-
means.
The report made week AFRO by Professors stone
and Wilson, Oi Cincinnati that the comet had split
n tNo has not been confirmed, ana though Dr.
Draper Is unwilling make positive assertion on
negative evidence lie mas cNamlned the feircatng
NJ with some c1re, ana IS unable 10 lind amy sgu
OF break IN its continuity. Regarding the claim
OF Wi lam lugglns, the London SpcctrcScupist that
he ltentlilcd The bands OF the solar spectrum in The
photograph OF the comets spectrum which he OBJ
tanned on he morning of June -. Professor Draper
Is inclined to believe that the dark bands referred 10
were the effect of the twilight which in the latitude
OF England is absent only very short time from
the summer SKIES nj night. The matter is of some
Importance since Che lines of the suns spectrum are
partly at least BY reelected light Profess"r Dr3rr
is confident that the observations taken in this at
tlde aud atmosphere are quite as trustworthy as
Has The comet changed in appearance ~ asked
1t has faded very much, so that do not expect
OF curiosity. The activity of the head is very much
diminished, and the coma and tail are still contract
n.y. ne rerulSiVe force which pushes the tail
away from the sun grows less the distance of the
comet from the san Increases aHd the tail naturally
shortens on that account. No doubt u considerable
part OF the tail will never return TO The nucleus hat
Will escape altogether from the inference Of its at
1ra,tion; for, unlike the sheep Of nursery reYo"n,
rms conner mas o'en, on tn whole, an cXccliout
subject Tor observation. and the results have OH
tanned are lar beyond nay expectations. There
seems To- he no reason why We Shoulu not at any
time fall i'll with a comet far larger than any that
has ever appeared II is well known that the inter
stellar spaces are tnIonGcd with isolated bodic, of
all 81 from tat 81 ahootlngstar which is dS,-
patcd py short flight through the air to that Of
the largest comet; how much larger some of the
floating spheres may he il * vain to conjecture
Now the san is moving through s,,acc nj l1c rate al
from twenty To forty miles 4 second, and may at
any time fail III with body OF iuconcrivalir size
which, being drawn toward il and rendered luiin-
Gus by It's heat would be turned from n dark i'ivis-
lble mass into radiant comet. Indeed II is pretty
nearly certain that in the cOulae oil time our sun
VIII run foul of some Other system of stars which
VIII bring the solar system 20 end. II is UoJ i'm
possible that Onr system, should il fall in with =
sun oi sufficient SIZE, might itself be turned into n
comet, and 50 com" 10 an end. The possibilities
that lie buried IN the universe Of stars and ncbGlp
are limited only by each na.I'. .uaauatiou. There
may be systems rs complies as oru own. or much
more so. which have lost them rit hy hc laps, of
iline and are now invisible; and such an obstacle
IN "nr path would not be discovered until we were
Go>o upon IT, But these are idle apeculations, and
have end