The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-14
Concerning Comets.

The word comet comes from the
creek word come, sirnifying hair: the
huttering material which the
tail being supposed to resemble hair.
Astronomers to-day are unable To de.
eide what this material IS. Prof. Ora
per says 1t must be something of which
We nave no knowledge on earth. We
are 70 s%aUdat, and have never even Oh
served a comet by telescope but We
have often seen a camp fire IN cert III.
conditions of the atmosphere. exhibit !
reflection upon the surrounding atmos
phere that made the fire seem as if en-
closed by a large shell of light. On very
damp and hazy nights these bali. Of
hre" could be seen in all directions. Ii
was necessary to come within six or
eight feet of the fire before the reiec.
ton fell upon the approaching figure.
Now. If the comet be thirty mil
lions Of miles distant" from rs it may
be that the seeming flame or tall
Is merely the "retectton" upon a dense
atmosphere. The fact that stars can be
seen through the tail as it passes in
front of them, shows that it is not
'Hame' nor anything 50 tangible as
blaze and the further fact that the
TAIL, like a shadow, always stretches
way from the sun, no matter where
the comet be situated, certainly indi-
Gates that the sun has something 70 do
with it.
1t appears that comets are quite plen-
tiful. More than GOO have already
been recorded.
A most brilliant comet appeared In
1869, which passed within two millions
OF miles of the earth. This beautiful
comet. moving with Immense swiftness.
was seen in London. Its tail stretched
across the heavens like a prodigiou>
luminous arch, sc, 600, 900 miles In
length. The computed length of that
which appeared III ISL, and which was
SO remarkably conspicuous, was, accord
ing to the late DIR. Herschel, upwards OF
100 600, 900 miles, and its apparen;
greatest breadth at the IN time, 10
600, 900 miles.
One still more brilliant appeared in
September, October, and November.
1911, visible all the autumn to the
naked eye.
HALEY comet, named after one oil
The greatest astronomers of England,
appeared III 1862. He first proved tina,
many OF tue appearances of comets were
but the periodical return OF the same
bodies, and he demonstrated that the
comet Of 1852 was the same with the
comet of 1876, 1881, and 1907, de
duclng this fact from Il minute observa
ton of the first mentioned comet, ana
| hoIn,r Ntrtr.L nv YtS ,uAnjari,l rn.n,b
lance to the comets described as having
appeared III those years. Haley there
fore first fixed the identity Of comets,
and predicted their periodical return.
The revolution Of Haley comet is per
formed in about 10 years. 1t appeared
in 1859, and came to its perihelion OF
March Is. Its last appearance was il
1885.
Encke' comet was first discovered by
VI PouS, November 20, 1918, but just
~ named by astronomers after Professor
Eucke, for his success III detecting 1t
orbit, motions, n perturbatIonS. II
Is Ike the preceding n OF the three
comets which have Appeared according
to prediction, and Its revolutions are
made IN three years and fifteen weeks
Blela's comet has been an object o
fear to many, on account of the near
ness with which it has approached, not
the earth, but a point of the earth,
path. 1t was first discovered by NJ.
Biela. an Austrian officer, February IS.
1926. 1t is one of the three comet.
whose temperance was predicted. 1t
revolution being performed IN q years
and 80 weeks. It's second appearance
was in 1882, when the time Of its peri
helion passage was November u. Its
third was in 1899, its fourth in 1915,
and its fifth III 1852
The great comet Of 1851 was tirsI
seen by Mr.. Tebbutt, al Sydney, i
Australia, 18th day !; by Mr., Gold
schmidt and Others in France and Eng
land on 29th and Both of June. Tn,
nucleus was about 400 miles i'll diane
ter, with "a long, bush like tail. travel
ing at tie rate of 10, 900, 600 miles III :
hours.