The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-07-28
Vancouver Independent.
OFFICIAL PAPER OF CRY AND COUNTY.
Vancouver. Clarke County, Washington
Territory.
Comet Lore.

n 4AtOuAO OOAACcpOAOCAV
from Prof. Simon Nemcomb to-day a
statement regarding the probable iden-
tity of the comet. Prof. Newcomb said :
1.-The statement which, if true, will at
tsch most interest to this comet is that
made in the telegraph dispatch from DIR.
Gould, that it is q return of the great
comet of 1907. It will be remembered
that the first news obtained of the comet,
some three weeks ago, was contained in
dispatches from the southern hemisphere.
1t appears that among the first dispatches
was that sent by DIR. Gould; another
followed from the astronomers at the
Cape of Good Hope, and a third was
sent by the Emperor of Brazil to the
French Academy of Sciences. The ques
ton now arises, is it possible that DR..
Gould was right in saying that it is a
return of the great comet of 1907?
1.-The comet of 1907 was discovered by
Poas, at Marseilles, September 81, 1907,
and was followed for more than six
months, a period sufficiently long to give
q very accurate determination of its or.
gans. All the observations made upon it
showed it to have a period of nearly
100 years. 1t seems out of the question
that under any circumstances the same
comet could have returned in so short q
time as "a years, unless it has passed in
the vicinity of some of the larger planets
which, according to the elements, it
could not have done. This comet was
observed carefully by DIR. William Her.
chel, October 10. The tail was three
degrees aud three quarters long, but it
rapidly diminished, and by December
81 .,~l l.
way in which the identity of the two
comets can be investigated is by ascer-
tanning whether they are now in the
same orbit. From DR.. Gould's telegram
it may be inferred that the comet was
very near the orbit of 1907 when he OBJ
served it. The Emperor of Brazil tele-
sgraphed the elements to the French
Ace denny of Sciences, but, unfortunately,
one element is wanting. The resem-
blance with those of the comet of 1907
is not very great. What 1 have done
has been to calculate the apparent
position in the heavens of the orbit of
1907 on the morning of June %, when
the comet was first seen in this hemis-
phere, in order to see whether the com 1T
was then actually in that orbit. The dis
lance was only five degrees, which was
. pretty near approach, considering how
near the comet was to the earth, being
about one-third the distance from the
earth to the sun. 1t would therefore
appear that the two orbits are at least
very near together, but should be more
inclined to think that it is case of two
comets moving in nearly the same orbit
rather than of o return of the same couIct.
One reason for this is that if it had been
aperiodic comet, returning every seventy
four years, it could not have failed to
have been observed on former occasions,
because it would nave returned in 1874
and in 1860. In neither of these years
was any such comet observed. The posi-
ton of its orbit is such that it could
hardly have failed to be seen had it re-
turned. Taking the fact of its nom
appearance with the fact that its orbit
was an almost perfect parabola, it is i'm
possible to suppose that this is the same
comet, unless it has in the meantime
been subject to some unknown disturb
ing force, such as happened to the comet
of ITO.
sNow if the comet of 1907 had passed
near Jupiter, or any very large planet,
We might suppose it to have been brought
back by its attraction. But, as l have
said, the position of the orbit is so pecu-
liar that it cannot approach any of the
known planets. 1t came to us in space
from the south side of the plane of the
solar system and returned on the north
side. To this fact is due the peculiarly
of its motion. 1t has come directly up
on the same meridian of right ascension
from point 80 or 40 degrees south,
where first seen, to where it now is.
1T must have passed very near be-
tween the earth and the sun about q
week or ten days ago. 1t is this pecu-
liarity of its motion which has rendered
its discovery so difficult, although it has
really been in our sky for more than o
month. 1t did not rise until after sun
rise, and it set every afternoon before the
sun did, so it was hidden from view. As
soon, however, as it got north of the sun
it began to rise . little before the sun
and to set little after. At length it got
20 far north that it was visible before
sunrise AID from the present TINA it will
be visible after sunset
1.-THE fate of this last comet should be
. warning to all such bodies against
straying into the neighborhood OF any
large planet. When observed, the
astronomers we're astonished to find il
moving in an orbit having . period oil
less than six years, although it had
never before been seen, and Was SC