Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-06-30
MILLIONS IN IT.

An Ohio Astronomer Tells Us All About
Our Celestial visitor-Receding From
the Earth at the Rate of Million Miles
Daily-Dimension of the Body 10000
Miles, With Tail 100000 Miles In
L.ngth-A Portion of Tnis Narrative En-
cuuntered by the Earth. According to
Washington Authority.
CLEVELAND. Ohio, June 29.-The distin-
guished astronomer, Prof. j. N. Stockwell, of
the school of applied sciences, this city, makes
the following statement of his observations of
the comet on the evenings of June "a, Is and
26: I had the good fortune to get observations
of its position with sufficient precision to
enable me to determine approximately it's path
through space. The elements of its orbit, de-
rived from these observations, are very similar
to the elements of a comet which appeared IN
1907, and render it probable it may be the re-
turn of that comet. We can
not, however, pronounce with certainty
.on that point till observations
extending over much longer period have
been made and carefully discussed. If we
trace the path of the comet back to June 1st,
we find it then had slight ascension Of
about f1ve hours and that its declinations
were nearly forty degrees south. In this po-
sition it could be well observed in the south
ern hemisphere and is very probably the same
comet observed by DR.. Gould in the Argen-
tine Republic June 1st
PROGRESS THROUGH SPACE.
The distance from the earth was then a.
t0O,GOO miles from that point. It travelled
directly north and passed little westward of
the sun July IL, at distance of five million
miles from the earth. It reached it's per ni!lon
June %, when it was about 100000 miles
from the sun and $4,000, 900 miles from the
earth. June 2Sth it was 100000 miles from
the earth and receding at the rate of 300, 600
miles daily. July 10th it will be within about
10 degrees of the north star, and its distance
will be more than $4,000, 900 miles from the
earth.
THE DIMENSIONS
OF this comet are very great. The diameter of
portions of the head cannot be less than t0,-
600 miles, while the nebulosity surrounding
it cannot be less than three times as great.
The length of the tail must exceed 5000, 600
miles. The comet has been in our skies dur
ing month past, and it is proper to inquire
WHY IT WAS NOT SEEN
before. According to our computation it
came from the southern hemisphere almost in
line with the sun, 30 it rose over the horizon
in the east after sunrise and sunk below the
horizon before sunset It was therefore above
our horizon only by daylight till after June
Goth, at which time It was so near the sun it
was enveloped in twilight while above the
horizon. but its rapid motion northward
carried it in three days SO far from the
sun that it renamed above
our horizon till the disappearance of twilight,
and in the meantime it had passed through it's
perihelion, and appeared as a
FULLY DEVELOPED COMET
of magnificent dimensions, when first discov-
cred in the northern hemisphere. 1t is and has
been growing rapidly fainter since first discov-
cry and will continue to do 80 till its final dis
appearance. 1t will probably disappear to the
naked eye within q couple of weeks, but it is
probable that it CAN be followed with the tele-
scope during number of months.
NAVAL OBSERVATORY ESTIMATES.
WARRINGTON, June 29.-The comet is esti-
mated at the Naval observatory to be now
about 30,O00,0OO miles from the earth. Its
nucleus is 700 miles in diameter, and the en-.
velop about the nucleus % ,200, 900 in diameter
The tail to be 5,000,0 900 miles in length The
fact that its orbit lies within the orbit of the
earth explains the apparent paradox of its re-
ceding from the earth while approaching the
sun. On the Goth of June last it came nearest
the earth, being then but 10, 900, ,O00 miles away.
Some astronomers here think it is probable
that the earth passed through the tail of the
comet