Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-08-01
Some Novel views About Comets.


cITY-THE EARTH SORT OF B0B-TATED COMET
THB STAR reporter while hunting for informa-
ton regarding the comets in that storehouse of
astronomical lore, the library of the Naval OBJ
servatory, met Prof. Jacob Ennis. Prof. Ennis
is professor Of Natural Sciences at the state
normal school, Shippensburg, Pa. and has &c
voted much time to the study of astronomy.
II want to get something about the comets?"
SAID the reporter throwing out q sort OF drag
net to catch any facts or theories the professor
might have.
"Do you see this?" said the professor. point
ing to the open page of a book which he was
reading, containing picture of the sun during
total eclipse.
YES"
"That is called the corona of the sum- con-
tinued the Professor indicating the light encr-
cling the dark disc" You will observe those
rays of light streaming ofin different directions"
Il do."
'.Have you ever seen the Aurora borealis?''
81 have
'Now the Aurora borealis is electricity.
These streams of light from the sun. are cleo
tricity. When an electric machine is worked at
night it will give out rays or brushes of light
just like this. Now my theory is that the tails
of comets, are composed of electric light
The Professor paused to note the effect of the
announcement on the wondering reporter, and
then continued:
Electricity is attracted by any substance. 1t
repels itself. The tails of comets always point
away from the sun. The electricity of the sun
repels the electricity of the comet. Some men
have said that the tails are composed Of gaseous
matter. The thinnest vapOr would conceal the
stars from view. 1t is fact that small stars can
be seen through the tail of a comet That would
indicate that there is no substance in Them
The reporter having absorbed these facts the
Professor continued: eff these tails were COM
posed OF any substance the laws of motion are
constantly violated by them. The great comet
of 1913 went so near the sun that it passed from
one side to the other in a few hours. It's inn
mense tail, one hundred millions of miles long.
was shifted completely, so that it pointed di-
rectly in an opposite direction. Could that be
so If it were composed of any substance? Could
comet swing hundred million miles of tail
around so quick as that?'
The reporter guessed not.
"The electricity is generated by evaporation.
AS the comets approach the sun. the heat be-
comes more intense. the evaporation and the
accumulation of electricity more rapid, the re-
pulsiye force greater, and the tails longer Some
times the material becomes completely evap
grated. Then the comet has no tail. There
being nothing to evaporate there is no electric
ity-hence no tail"
''Then you think the aurora bOrealis is the
same as the tail of comet"
'If hold cup of saline water in my hand
and evapOrate it by dropping hot pebbles in it,
or by other means. electricity is generated. AS
the water of the ocean is evapOrated electricity
is generated. 1t goes in currents to the pole.
This aurora boreas affects the needle of the
compass. As the night passes around the world
it is found that the needle of the compass is
affected. The aurora borealis is always ON the
dark side OF the EARTH or the side away from
the sun, just as the tail of comet is on the side
away from the sun. 1t follows the same rule"
''Then, If one earth was seen from another
planet it would look like a bob-tailed cOmet?"
Exactly" said the Professor. ga great deal
of electricity is accumulated at the equator.
That makes the zodiacal light always visible at
night in the equatorial regions pointing away
from the SUM-"
sit will be seen," added Prof Ennis, s'that the
streamers from the corona of the sun vary rap
idly in size, shape, number and location as we'll
as aurora borealis, which is constantly chang
ing" Here he showed pictures made from pho
tOgraphs of a solar eclipse which showed that
brushes or streamers and at the end three on the
same side. ''The comets which have the large
tails" said the Professor, "arethose which come
from great distance"
ANOTHER VIEW.
When the reporter had left Prof. Ennis he
detailed to a distinguished astronomer who is
attached to the observatory the theories enter
tanned by Prot. Ennis
''That is all right" said the astronomer. 'Tt
" make interesting reading, but don't saddle
''Why you don't believe that the tails of
comets are substantial do your" asked the re-
porter.
swell, there are hundred theories about
that"
''HOw do you account for the tail of the comet
of 1843 swinging around so fast p
at didn't swing around. The tail that APP
peared on one side was an entirely different tail
from that that appeared on the other. When it
passed around it left it's old tail on this side of
the sun. Whatever matter the tail is composed
Of is repealed from the comet by the sum-
sit must travel very rapidly to spread out
hundred million miles of space in such short
time" suggested the reporter.
Eyes, it's velocity must be very great
Glow about these changes in the suns
corona?"
"These changes are not so rapid as you think
During day there are great changes but in the
short time OF an eclipse they are not noticeable
Come with me. and will prove it to yon'' The
astronomer led the reporter to place where the
material collected during the observations of
transits and eclipses is collected. Here he took
out photographs taken during the solar eclipse
of 1876. Some were taken at places widely
apart, and hence several hours apart in respect
to time. Though the corona in one might be
better defined, owing to the better conditions
under which the photograph was taken. the
general features and outlines were exactly the
same.