The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-08-06
THE COMET OF 1881.

THE COMET OF 1881.
Thus far astronomers are in doubt as
20 whether the comet now visible in the
northern heavens is the same as that
which was discovered a few days ago by
DIR. b. A. Gould at the National Observ-
atory in Buenos Ayres, for if it be so its
movements must have been more re-
markable than those of any other inhab-
itants of the skies of which there is rec
ord. 1t is not even known whether the
comet is new or an old one; whether
it is approaching to or receding from
the sun, what is its composition or what
is its orbit. In short, we as yet know
little more about it than that it exists,
which is enough, however, to fill the
superstitious, who take the unknown as
the most solid basis of the dangerous
and portentous, with sudden shudder-
ing awe of the approach of the Dies ire
which has been drawing nearer, of
course, ever since the creations dawn,
and which may now be at hand-as also
it may not be. And it is possible also
that poor old Mother Earth, who has
been white hot, battered by storms of
metal, parched by the sun, frozen over
with ice and pelted by meteors from
time immemorial, may at last receive
her coup de grace from comet. But
though this is possible it is highly i'm
probable, and until it is at least ascer-
tanned whether the new fiery visitor is
approaching the earth or not, good peo-
pie may be permitted to possess their
souls in patience, excepting, naturally
those several astronomers who have
telegraphed in haste to Rochester claim
ing the prize of 5000 offered for the dis
covery which they all claim to have been
the first to make.
Professor Henry Draper, who is well
known to the world of science for his
skill in spectroscopic analysis of the
chemical composition of celestial bodies,
has mildly taken pp the. c,aaesals-;se-J-z
reputation, and denies in the name of
his friend and of scientific men in gen.
eral that the distinguished Englishman
ever uttered the prophecy which is cur
rently fathered upon him to the effect
that in the present year comet was to
come and destroy the earth. OF course
Mr.. Proctor never could have done this,
since he himself has briefly summed up
all that is known of comets in such a
way that anything can be predicted con
corning their action. Astronomers, he
says, can tell what path comet is tray
cling upon, and say whence it has come
and whittier it will go; they can in
many cases predict the periodic returns
of comet, and analvze the substance
of these strange wanderers, and they
have recently discovered singular
bond of relationship between comets
and those other strange visitants from
the celestial depths-the shooting stars.
But astronomy has hitherto proved I'M
able to determine the origin of comets,
the part they perform in the economy of
the universe, their real structure, the
causes of the marvellous changes of
shape which they undergo as they ap-
proach the sun, rush round him and
then retreat. 1t is believed that this
statement by Professor Proctor is not
strictly accurate, spectroscopic ANALYSIS
having shown something in relation to
the component elements of some comets
from which something has been inferred
In regard to their structure, and it being
known that the quantity of matter
which they contain is not very great.
One well-known astr0nomer has said
that the highest cloud that floats in the
earth's atmosphere on fine day in sum-
mer is dense body when compared
with comet. 1t has been coniectured
that comets and metorites, by falling into
the sun, keep up the heat of the central
luminary of our system, but at present
the weight of opinion seems to be
against this theory, no comets having
fn fol fs1f.< 81
1t should be remembered, also, that
those people who dread destruction to
the earth from comets commonly are
put into the fear by the notion that these
wanderers to the sun from beyond the
confines of the orbit of Neptune may
strike the earth and so by the force Of
the impact knock our ancient mother
out of time, so to say, and into space, OIL
might set her on fire, whereas there il
some reason to believe that comets have
before now grazed the earth without do
ing her any injury and without having
any appreciable effect upon her what
ever. In fact, she has probably hur
them more than they have hurt her
Whatever real danger to the earth il
involved in an approach of a comet t.
the sun is to be sought, however, in al
probability in the hypothesis that S,
great an increase in the SUMS hea
would follow the fall of a comet into tn
sun that life on the earth would be burn
out, in which case if we were ever t.
have an inhabitable globe again new
supply of living germs would have t.
come from outer space, borne on tn
wings of Sir William Thomson's me
teorites.
1t is likely that the terror of comet
which is always felt by ignorant peopl