New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-06-29
THE COMPOSITION OF COMETS.

A THEORY THAT THE HEADS ARE FLUID LENSES
AND THE TAILS MERE TRAINS OF LldHr.
10 tie EdStor OF The Tribune
SIR: would like to have put on record my
theory Of the nature Of comets. contend that the
nuclei are water, or condensed vapor, and that
their tails are the reflections the suns rays through
them through lense The first objection In the way
this Is in the fact that In the tails OF comets
nyriads OF particles Of matter apparent Ny answer
to this that in stray sunbeam In dark room yriads
Of particles Of dust appear in like manner and yet we
do not assume did Sir Isaac Newton. that light Ia
corpuscuar enanation from the That notion is ex-
ploded. In making experiment some years ago TO
initiate the appearance Of comet on spectrum used
IN achromatlc lens as pendulum. allowing the two
kinds Of glass Of which the lens made TO come In all
relations to the light the cord by which II was sus
pended might untwist, and fonnd at one
turn of the lens reflection the screen
like Q certain comet. Of date do not now
remember with two nuclei and with coma in the form
Of IN ellipse; and conclude FROM this that the nuclei
Of comets various forms IN part we find by
observations and Is this account that their coma
- the reflection has been termedappears different
st tinea.
There n no subject astronomy which absurd
suxgestions have been ventured by philosophers Of
Fhom better tAngs might have been reasonably ex
pScsed. It Incredible that such man W. Keper
(surnamcd the Legislator Of the Skies should ever have
bad notions attributed to him we read OF In one
Of the most Trustworthy works OF the last century. 1t
eGens he could account for certain actions Of the
planets and comets without Supporting that they were
endowed With intelligence. IL would extend this letter
Toe far give the opinions Of famous astronomers ON
The m1jecf WILL therefore state only the Idea OF the
b6st IN Opposition 10 the view have presented az my
own hypothesis Sir Isaac Newton attributed the
changes the appearance Of comets the changes In
their stnospbcres; and II In held that this was CON
Ahmed by oh rvations of the comet OF l744
Bvs = 70 the obsrrvatons the comet OF 1880, with
1eeocOHe; 1t appeared like coal dnly glowing.
suds raaAs OF matter Illuminated with dusky tumd
Hgt less senshle st the extremes than Ia the middle
HhcTcas . star appears with a round disk and vivid
Nehk"
A 70 the substance Of the tails Of comets, Sir Issac
w0Vtous theory that they consisted of mole
6HAos was the same his theory that light an
nonnttOn OF curpuscles thrown CT by the Hence
= Gvpoaed that tho nuclei Of comets emitted like
oUYueeles ss atmosphere.
e6hss6ou forbids the idea that comet eould by any
bo6hitty manage 1t tall comet does draw
~ q eol:ind spparently on approaching the SUI;
b4he6o and then on leaving for It's apheeon, push
~ ~ I'll IN front Of the nucleus This Is certainly I'M
eo1ecnote On any other hypothesis than that the
Nc1e operates transparent lens Indeed stars are
S1unettmeo seen directly through nuclei, and
at TIE oeseyya OF Heetius tend strongly TO con-
j IHeYork june %, 1881 CLINTON ROOSEVELT.