Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-08-25
HAILEY'S COMET.
A Famous Traveller Of the SkY---A
Farmer Who Beat all the Astron-

a Famous Traveller Of the Sky---A
Farmer Who Beat all the Astron-
omers.
New York sun
The story of Halley's comet, which is
now winging its way back out Of space
TO pay us another visit, is one of the
most wonderful and interesting i'm the
annals of astronomy. Summing up all
Of its recorded appearances, it is evil
dent that IL has caused more consterna-
tion i'm the world than all the known
comets together. This is on account
of its great size and its short period,
only some seventy-six years, so that it
has been seen twenty four times since
the Christian era. Many now living
probably remember its appearance in
1885, and TIE younger readers Of this
paper may reasonably hope TO witness
its return in 1911.
Perhaps the most famous visit of
this comet previous 10 that of 1916
was that of 1906, when William the
Conqueror invaded England. The his
tOrians Of that age bear witness to the
splcndOr Of its appearance and the
alarm II caused. It's head is described
rs having looked as large as the full
moon, and its great tail swept across
the heavens like n tongue of fire. The
apOstrOphe that was addressed TO this
subject by nm English monk IS pre-
served:
"IIere thou art again. thou cause of
the tears Of many mothers! IL Is long
since have seen thee. but I see thee
now. more terrible than everl Thou
threatenest my country with complete
ruin"
This is remarkable as indicating that
be thought he had seen the comet be-
fore. IL Is possible. but not probable
that the monk had seen the same comet
ut its last previous visit in $50. seventy
years earlier. lie undoubtedly re-
ferted 10 some other comet. There
was bright comet seen i'm the morn.
ing SKY i'm 1000. and q record of IL was
made in the very monastery in which
the monk belonged.
The earliest recorded appearance Of
IIalley's comet was in the year III II.
&. IL was probably noticed at many
returns before that, but its distinctive
features could not be recognized in the
meager accounts left of those ancient
comets.
The discovery that this comet revis
It's the sun once i'm about every seven
six years is famous achievement i'm
the history of mathematics. DIR. Ed
mund HALEY, in studying the orbit of
tho frrnnN n,Vn.N ,,sI,i,b Ia go,,, L., 1900
noticed that II corrcsponded closely
with the orbits Of comets that had APP
peared i'm 1907 and 1881. 10 occurred
To him that these might all be one
comet which returned 90 the neighbOr-
hood Of the sun nc certain fixed times.
II so. he thought he could predict
when the comet would Ice seen again.
To do So would require an immense
amount Of calculation, Involving some
of the difficult processes of mathe-
matics. DIR. HALEY undertook the
task, and the result of his labors was
the announcement that, making allow
ance for the influence of Jupiter, the
comet would appear again early i'm
1889. DR. HALEY could not expect to
live To see IL, but he advised the as
trUnOmers who should be living at that
time TO watch for the comet, and if
they saw IL To give him the credit of
the prediction. HALEY died eighteen
years before the time he had fixed for
the comets return. Invisible in the
deeps of space il was coming sunward.
Obedient to the law of its motion that
he had discovered.
AS the time drew near astronomers
began To bes'ir themselves. HALEY
had not fixed upon any precise date on
which the comet would pass its peri
belion; or nearest point 10 the sun.
Two celebrated Frenchmen. Clairant
and Lelande. and one of their country
women. Nine. Lepante, undertook to
accomplish this. 10 was n herculean
task. HALEY had allowed for the dis
t'ubing influence of Jupiter; they COM
puted that Of Saturn also. For sin
months they hbored at their calcutta
tions, hardly stopping TO eat their
meals. With their minds eye they
saw the comet away out i'm space
winging its way, now retarded, now
fastened. by the influence of planetary
attractions. When the work was FIN
ished and the last equation had yielded
1t value, Clarant announced that the
comet was really coming. and that IL
would pass its perihelion on April 13.
1859. having been delayed in its flight
5l6 days by Jupiter and 100 10y Saturn.
Immediately. for the time was nj
hand when the first glimpse of the
coming comet was 90 be expected. the
astronomers all over Europe trained
their telescopes upon the heavens. A
German farmer named Palitzeh. who
was fond Of star-guing. got ahead of
them all, and first saw the comet with
his homemade telescope on Decem-
her %, l75S. A few astronomers saw
II In January. but as IL was in con-
junction with the sun in February. il
was not generally seen until I'm April.
when Il threw out broad tail and
sailed away into space again. It's per
ihelion passage took place on March
IL. n month before the date predicted.
Mr., Conkling's Bath.