The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1881-07-07
manitomof pilot.
THURSDAY, JULY Z, 1881.
COMETS.


orus Siculus says, there was com
ct presaging the destruction of the
cities of Helix and Buris, whose
tail reached one-third way across
the heavens. In 1874 B. G. came
one ten times greater than the sun.
The birth of, Mithridates was the
occasion for the appearing Of anoth-
er 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. d. with a small
head. but tail that rivalled the
MONDAY sun in brightness; and in
1864 the death Of Pope Urban ".
was heralded by comet 100 de-
grees long, mentioned by Chinese
as well as European historians. In
1902 two remarkable comets APP
peared, and in 1876, at the time of
the capture of Constantinople by
the Turks, there doomed up another
so big and so frightful that Pope
Calixtus II. issued a bull against it,
and all pious folks added to their
Ave Maria the prayer: Lord,
save us from the devil, the Turk
and the cometw In 1882 a comet
was seen by the people Of Milan at
MONDAY.
The comet of 1917 was the most
important one that had then been
seen. Tycho Brahe first saw it one
evening when he was out late spear
ing eels by torchlight. He gave
up the eels, and went to studying
the comet; and was the first to de-
monstrate that comets revolve out
side the atmosphere Of the earth and
beyond the moons orbit. The sew
enteenth century was the great time
for the comets. Large ones were
seen in 1907, 1918, 1862, 1868,
1850, 1852, and 1859. The comet
of 1862 was, it is said, as bright as
the half moon, while the great COM
ct of 1860, with a tail ninety-six
million miles long enables Sir Isaac
Newton to demonstrate that COM
cts are guided by the same princi-
pie that controls the course of the
planets. To the comet of 1852 the
astronomer HALEY gave his own
name, after he had proved it to be
indentical with the great comets of
1881 and 1907, and predicted its
return in 1856, which was fulfilled.
He thus established the principle
that the orbits Of comets can be de-
ternined, the periods of their revo-
lutions calculated, and the times Of
their appearing predicted. Other
great comets were seen in 1144,
1859, 1911 and 1913. The last
named was probably identical with
that of 1899: it was visible in broad
daylight, without the aid of glasses,
and approach to within 100000
miles of the sun, being the "clos-
est shave" on record. Donati's
comet appeared in 1858, and was
remarkably brilliant. Its period
of revolution 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 ig-
norance is now confessed. But as
great improvements in astronomi-
cal instruments, particularly the
spectroscope, have been made since
the last large comet, some definite
facts may be extracted from the
presentphenomenon. Tycho Brahe
tried to find out what they were
made OF, but gave it up. Kepler
thought them to be of transient du-
ration, evaporating rapidly
whence their tails. Newton thought
favorably of his theory, also. Sir
John Herschel thought their tails
were due to some sort of electrical
agency. Then thequestion, wheth-
er or not they are selfilluminous,
was the bone of contention; specu-
lation was rife regarding their heat,
Newton declaring the comet Of
1860 to be 1000 times hotter than
red-hot iron. Then comes up the
constantly recurring question, what
good are they, anyhow? Newton
thought they fed the sun with fuel.
Sir William Herschel and Laplace
thought they gradually turned in
to planets. But as yet they are
shrouded in greater mystery than
that which surrounds any other class