The Osceola times., 1881-10-22
COMETARY MOVEMENTS.
The Difficulty Astronomers Have IL fre-
dieting Them. 49,,

The pinieui'y dietins ~ Them.
Many years ago one of these WIG
fellows got terribly tangled up IN tns
neiphborhood of Jupiter, and had some
difficulty in getting away nom MS po-
lice, The great comet OF ls43, when
produced tremendous excitement De,
cause that was the year the SECOND
Adyentists had set for the end OF me
world, is said to have passed through the
couree of the sun, but as that consists OF
an exceedingly raritied gas, thinner than
ANYTHING we know OF, and extends De
yond the photoshere Of the sun several
hundred thousand miles, the comet,
which was going at a speed oil nearly
400 miles second, got away, though
undoubtedly good deal warmed up by
its exercise. Then there was the comet
of 1861. which announced itself IN the
glowing heavens with so broad llght
that il was mistaken for an auroral dls.
nlay. il is believed the earth passed
through its enormous tail, producing,
however. no other than the luminous
appearance spoken of. But IA both 1t
and our world were in haste they then
parted company, and presently the
comet was pictured in well-denned
cometary form on the northern sky, and
grew small by degrees and beautifully
less, till it disappeared in the northeast.
There is an inclination TO poke fun at
tbe astronomers for not heralding the
approach of the comet OF 1881. But
Comets are so uncertain in their move
ments that they cannot be predleted
with absolute certainty. Some OF them
never return. Others come from no one
knows where, but, flashing around the
sun, are upon us IN twinklng; others
of short orbits can be reasonably calcu-
lated upon. But when they get down
to regular orbits, they are pretty much
played out as comets, and become llttle
more than star dust, of which we get
sprinkling. The August and November
meteors are thought to bel no more than
this cometary duct, through which the
| earth plunges in ITS annual orbits. but
/ 1t is only in periods of about thirty-thtee
| years that it seems TO hit these cometary
| rings where there il the most substance,
and then when it is set on fire by frlc-
tion with her atmosphere there is dis.
play which reminds people of the vivid
/ figure of the Aposalyse. 1t will be well
| on to the end of this century before
/ there will be a repetition of the great
meteoric showers of 1898 and 1866.
| Still, hardly a clear night passes when
| one NAV not see a shooting star blaZ-
/ ing its way across the sky and disap~
/ bearing ia "A flash. Once in a while a
| considerable body of this matter Is en-
| countered, and then there is Kissing
noise as il heats up in our atmosphere,
with scintillations as PARTICLES fly oil
/ from it, and finally there is stunning
/ explosion, and grand pyrotechnlc dis.
| play as the fragments plunge down ward
/ and bury themselves in the earth. In
/ ali our museums masses OF this matter,
whether of comets or ruined worlds, are
| 10 be found, their surfaces showing the
fusion of the heat excited by their pass
age through the atmosphere.
/ Professor Proctor estimates that the
amount of this star dust, which In great
/ er or lesser masses falls to the earth, h,
| added considerably to the bulk OF the
| globe, and Dr. Draper is making spec
/ lal study TO support the theory that life
I on the globe originated In germs brought
| 10 it from the fragments OF other worlds,
/ The scientists have not established the
/ theory OF spontaneous generation, and II
would relieve such of them as d. not
/ credit the account of specific act OF
creation, if they could get proof Lhal
! life has been brought hither in the dust
of old and broken up worlds, just as
birds carry the seeds Of plants and flow
ers to the islands of the sea.
/ So, scientifically speaking the dullest
/ clodhopper of US all is interested in
/ comets, as in the investigations OF the
/ philosophers and astronomers who turn
/ their telescopes ana spectroscopes upon
| them to discover more of their nature
and composition. They have ceased to
/ be apparitions of terror omeus OF war
pestileuce and famine, and can be stud
[ led now as part of that great cosmos
I about which we speculate 80 much and
know 80 little.