River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-08-04
COMETS.
Notable Ones in the Past---Theories
OF Scientists Respecting Them.

OF scientists ResTeeting Them.
Away back, in 81 3. c., Diodorus ST.
culus says, there was a comet presag-
\ ing the destruction of the cities of
Helix and Buris, whose tail reached
| one-thlrd way across the heavens. In
l34 b. Z. came one that was ten times
greater than the sun. The birth of
Mithridates was the occasion for the
appearance of another extraordinary
comet, and soon after the assassination
OF Caesar his ghost shone over Rome, so
the poets of the golden age wrote, in
comet that was visible by day as well as
by night. Then there was one in 1106'
A. ID. with small head, but tail that
rivalled the rays of the MONDAY sun in
brightness, ard in 1916 the death of
Pope Urban Nv. was heralded by a
| comet with Il tail 100 degrees long,
mentioned by Chinese as well as Eu-
ropean historians. In 1902 two re-
markable comets appeared, and in
l456, at the time of the capture Of
Constantinople by the Turks, there
doomed UP another so big and SO fright
full that Pope Calixtus III. issued bull
against it, and all pious folk added to
their Ave Maria the prayer: "Lord,
save us from the devil, the Turk and
the cometl" In 1882 a comet was seen
by the people of Milan at MONDAY.
The comet of 1877 was the m st inn
portant one that had then been seen.
Tycho Brahe first saw it one evening
when he was out late spearing eels by
torchlight. He gave up the eels and
went to studying the comet; and was
the first to dem Onstrate that comets re-
volve outside the atmosphere of the
earth and beyond the moons orbit
The seventeenth century was a great
time for the comets, Large ones were
seen in 1907, 1913, 1862, 1868, 1850. 1852
and 1859. The comet of 1862 was, it is
said, as bright as the half moon, while
the great comet of 1880, with tail
ninety-six million miles long, enabled
Sir Isaac Newton to demonstrate that
comets are guided by the same princi-
pie that controls the course of the plan
cts. To the comet of 1852, the astron-
omer HALEY gave his own name, after
he had proved it to be identical with
the great comets of 1881 and 1907, and
predicted its return in 1859, which was
fulfilled. He thus established the prin-
ciple that the orbits of comets can be
determined, the periods of their revo-
lutions calculated, and the times of
their appearing predicted. Other great
comets were seen in 1744, 1869, 1911
and 1913. The last named was proba-
bly, identical with that of 1859; it was
visible in broad daylight, without the
aid of glasses, and approached to with
in 100000 miles of the sun, being the
"closest shave" on record. Donati's
comet appeared in 1858, and was re-
markedly brilliant. It's period of revo-
luton is 1850 years, so that those who
missed seeing it then will probably not
have another opportunity. Other large
comets were seen in 1861 and 1874
Nobody knows what a comet is.
Astronomers have sometimes thought
they knew, but general ignorance is
now confessed. But as great improve
ments in astronomical instruments,
particularly the spectroscope, have
some definite facts may be extracted
from the present phenomenon, Tycho
Brahe tried to find out what they are
made of, but gave it up. Kepler
thought them to be bodies of transient
duration, evaporating rapidly-whence
their tails Newton thought favorably
of this theory also. Sir John Herschel
thought their tails were due to some
sort Of electrical agency. Then the
question, whether or not they are self
Illuminating, was the bone of conten-
ton. Speculation was rife regarding
their heat, Newton declaring the comet
of 1850 to be 200 times hotter than red
hot iron. Then comes up the con-
stantly recurring question, what good
are they, anyhow? Newton thought
they fed the sun with fuel. Sir Viii
liam Herschel and Laplace thought
they gradually turned into planets.
But as yet they are shrouded in a
greater mystery than that which sur
rounds any other class of heavenly
bodies, and the inquirer is generally
forced to fall back upon the definition
of the dictionary: "a heavenly body,
usually accompanied by train or tail,
revolving about the sun, generallyin an
extremely elongated orbit"