The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-08-04
Watching the Cemet1

Watching the Csmet1
Prot. Draper is gathering the usual
harvest which publicity yields in the
the shape of multitude Of letters from
strangers in all parts of the country.
One man sent four postage-stafnps from
Cheyenne, Wyoming, with . request
that the Professor would send him a
photograph of the comet at his earliest
convenience. DIR. Diapers correspond
ence with several Englishmen Of sci
ence. however, promises to be of con-
siderable interest. He is in commune
cation at the same time with Prof.
Young, of Princeton, whose experi-
ments with the spectroscope DR.. Draper
believes to be further Confederation
of his own conclusions.
One question Prof. Draper declares
he has settled forever. Last Thursday
in photographing the spectrum of q very
bright vOltaic arc he exposed his face
for some time to the electric light, and
the consequence was "sun. burned
face that came very near combining him
w lilo AOOA AOA VWVAVysxOuI
Whatever NAV be true of the spectrum,
he is certain that the electric light will
burn the skin. A comparison of the
spectrum of the voltaic arc with that of
the opmet confirms DR.. Draper's opin-
ion that there is some compound of
carbon in the comet. He is not ready
to conclude from the fact that the
hydrocarbons on the earth are all the
result of decayed organic matter that
the hydro carbons in the comet are
necessarily OF the same origin. since the
conditions in a body so highly heated
are much modified, and. indeed, hydro
carbons can be produced in the labora-
tory by artificial means.
The report made q week ago by
Profs. Stone and Wilson, of Cincinnati,
that the comet had split in two has not
been confirmed, and though DR.. Draper
is unwilling to make a positive asser-
ton on negative evidence he has ex-
amined the retreating star with some
care, and is unable to find any sign of a
break in its continuity. Regarding the
claim of William Higgins, the London
spectroscopist, that he identified the
bands of the solar spectrum in the
photograph of the comets spectrum
which, he obtained on the morning of
June "a, Prof Draper is inclined to be-
lieve that the dark bands referred to
were the effect of the twilight which, in
the latitude of England, is absent only
very short time from the summer
skies at night. The matter is of some
importance, since if the lines of the
suns spectrum are really present, the
tail of the comet must shine partly. al
least, by reflected light. Prof. Draper
is confident that the observations taken
in this latitude and atmosphere are
quite as trustworthy as those reported
from London.
HAS the comet changed in appear:
ance?" asked reporter.
1T has faded very much, so that
do not expect to make any more obser
vations except as a matter of curiosity
The activity of the head is very much
diminished, and the coma and tail are
still contracting. The repulsive force
which pushes the tail away from the
sun grows less as the distance of the
comet from the sun increases, and the
tail naturally shortens on that account
No doubt, considerable part of the
tail will never return to the nucleus
but will escape altogether from the in.
t1uence of its attraction; for. unlike the
sheep of nursery renown, comets very
seldom bring their tails behind them.
This comet has been, on the whole.
an excellent subject for observation,
and the results have obtained are far
beyond my expectations. There seems
to be no reason why we should not al
any time fall in with q comet far larger
than any that has ever appeared. It is
well known that the interstellar spaces
are thronged with isolated bodies of all
sizes. from that of q shooting star,
which is dissipated by short fight
through the air, to that of the largest
comet; how much larger some of the
floating spheres may be it is vain to
conjecture. Now the sun is moving
through space at the rate of twenty t.
forty miles second, and may at any
time fall in with body of inconceivablt
size, which, being drawn toward it anC
rendered luminous by its heat, woult
be turned from a dark, invisible mas.
into a radiant comet. Indeed, it i!
pretty nearly certain that in the cours,
Of time our sun will run foul of som,
other system of stars, which will bring
the solar system to an end. 1t is not inn
possible that our system, should it fall
in with sun of sufficient size, NIGH
itself be turned into comet, and sc
come to an end. The possibilities that
lie buried in the universe of stars and
nebule are limited only by each mans
imagination. There may be systems
as complete as our own, or much more
SO, which have lost their light by thu
lapse of time. and are now invisible
and such an obstacle in our path woult
not be discovered until we were close
upon it. But these are idle specula
tions, and have no end. IN y 1rib
u,se.