The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-08-19
Meeting the Comet.

To the Editor OF theiN. Y. HERALD:
The approaching comet has already mad
lite appearance in the evening sky, notwith
standing the brightness of the twilight ant
the full moon, and the h9ziness of the sky
which has been 30 great near the horizon
that have not been able on either of the
three evenings on which | have seen the
comet, 10 identify It's position with certainty
and accuracy. II is evident that it is NOV
ing in path several degrees further north
than described by the first computed orbit,
and that twill reach its perihelion two or
three days later This brings the comet a
little nearer to the earth, at its nearest ap,
proacb but on the other hand, removes Il a
corresponding distance from the sun, 80 that
there will be no material gain in brightness.
From its faintness in the telescope, l have
not much faith In its becoming very at
tractive object this coming week, especially
as its path will remain SO low in the heavens
during the whole period it will continue
visible. Yet II will be easily seen from 20,
sitious where there are no intervening OBJ
jects, until after the new moon; and il may
yet, as it is still approaching the sun and
earth, become, "a it has been expected to be,
"a conspicuous and interesting object"
There have been some efforts made to or,
cite popular apprehension BY the statement
that this comet was coming directly toward
us and therefore might possibly take part in
the refinement Of the apocryphsl prophesy of
Mother Shipton. That very fact
incr ssed our safety, as a moments consid-
GRAFTON will show. Suppose sportsman at
distance of three hundred yards discharges
his rife aimed directly at flying pigeon.
During tie second OF time it would take the
ball TO traverse this distance the earth's ct
traction would have dragged it down sixteen
feet, and the forward motion of the pigeon
would bs perhaps twice as much. Unless,
then, the rife were simed sixteen feet above
the bird, ard thirty or forty feet ahead of iis
position at the moment Of firing, he would
be perfectly safe. Now. assuming the comet
to have been coming point blank toward the
earth as it was at one time very nearly. we
have 10 consider that the sun was on one side
Of that line, which would certainly take
the comet away from US, and that the earth
was itself moving in the opposite direction,
which would add TO the certainty that II could
NOT come near Va. From these two
causes II was absolutely certain, not
only that lie comet could not hit us,
but that IL could not come within so, 900 900
miles of US. Nevertheless, to people who
trust their fancies moie than they do the
sober facts of science 1t may be some conso.
lation to know during this coming week, as
they watch the fiery train--if there shall in
deed DO one deserving the me--that the
comet Is moving rapidly to the left of us !;
that the suns attraction is drawing it away
from us, and that our own motion Is to the
right. 1t Is like starting from Fulton ferry
in Brooklyn, and as the tide sweeps US up
under the hoped for bridge, we descry
another Dat just coming out from the Wall
street slip and heading down stream. II is
impossible under such circumstances to even
fesr collision. The danger is far greater
from the yet invisible but approaching comet
OF 1872, which, II it should pass its perihelon
rext December, snd--''fs' are chesp-if it
should have changed its orbit as mnch rs the
comet of 1907. assuming that 10 DO identical
with Goulds comet. would come so near us
10 to delight the astronomers and alarm the
croakers. HENRY NJ. PARKHURsT,
Brooklyn, August Is, 1881.