The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1881-07-08

1ne PIX comet which made 10 appearances
% suddenly couple % days ago Va.
watched and ~ position measured yestor-
day morning through The Lig telescope a
tLe Dearborn Observatory. The length 81
The comet and tall measured almost precise-
" eight and half degrees. with few signs
Of sArcamer light extending little fur her,
put not forming dednit4 tail beyond the
limit named. some Of the published csli
mates u length. made BY the parties VINO
hr.t saw the comet. were much greater than
this. II appears probable that the TAN was
really longer on Wednesday morning than
yesterday; q 4 e % described BY gentle-
man nho saw 4 on both days. AT twenty
four minutes past three O'Clock the decina-
lon WAS iorty-six degrees forty- Elk ht min
u'es north, aud the right asce. >ion i've
nvufs aud thirty-six minutes, within Z few
the comet e travelling Il the rate Of about
nve uex. ees no,shward, ~ minutes o. time
% the nusIeus was 0is seconds or arc. and
Inc u!z.ance from is center 90 the apparent
TOP u the ense.ope was 10 seconds 81 arc.
Day before yesterday Il rs mere matter
q guess that this newly discovered comet
Was Identical with the comet Of 1912. which
va discovered ~ Pons ~ july, passed is
~ Encke 70 have period Of seventy aud
sesen-tenths years, which would hring Il
around again Ia The early part Of 1881 Il 4
weli-kuoN u Tact. however, that the nlea~-
ures o. position Of = comet, moving ID :
sery elongated orbit, can scarcely be
than this, especially II The perturDing sitrae.
lions q me planets the solar system are
mol taken into the account. re 20 net II
1915 Iof Instance, has swung OlIt INTO spacr
q = distance from the sun fifteen times
create than that u the earth, which carried
Y considerably beyond the orbt 81 Saillrn.
ana tue ~ raciinx power ~ the giant masses
Of Inc solar System, 10 say n thing ~ ia
hundreds of asteroids which have se. dis-
covered slice Enckc made his cnlsai,afinn
are qu,se sufficient 10 cause such adiffcrence
~ re result, 4 the comet passed near some
Making due allowance for this, the motion
q ne comet. a. 20 far observed. il partly
rtconcilsble with that Of m, comet Of 1879.
~ y travelling In. Approximately. the same
pane, but the position ~ the point Of peri
htlion passage III the computed orbit does
not appear 20 agree with that OF the pres
ent comet. The measures taken yes,er-
day have been cslIaici BY the Ts.bsr> 49,
tronomer, and he has decided the follow
Ing - approximate statements Or lnscni-
tude-in terms with which the average read
e. 2 more familiar than with degrees aud
minutes:
The distance Or the comet from the earth
Yesterday morning was $1,000 900 miles; the
diameter OF ths nucleus. 1000 miles; the
snurtest di-meter Of the comet, measured
through the nucleus. 1000 miles; aud the
length OF The tail. $4,000 y miies
Inc comet would appear 10 have already !
passed (nearly) between the earth and the |
sun; and the shortening OF The tail. above \
referred %, might be supposed 70 Indicate
ago: The latter, however. does not rest On !
sufficient data a. yet II Il we'll known that
= east three observations, AZ moderate in /
ttrsals Of time. mast be made or 4 comet \
before the elements Of its orbit can be de- 4
terinintd BY IL computer<. Hence other 4
observations, besides lhnSc made YESTERDAY, \
vii PC required 70 establish the leading
facts ~ the comets movements. The re-
CURED measures will he made at the Desr-
b.Hn Observatory and al numerous az her
pisces. weather permit Ing: ami the comet
y rapidly moving Into nl,rc favorable part
81 M heavens for measuring than that IN
me United states. Al above noted the
comet 70 rapidly moving northward. The
degrees ~ Yesterdays motion carried II 80
LAT north that Il WAS above the horizon dur
'nK me whole o. last night, instead of being
about four heurs beIox, a. on the previous
nisht. Il vii be above the horizon the
n $500" ttt*Ft tttt IA-Itt XI<*IUL the low
80 point due north about twenty minutes
pas. eleven o'clock, and will b. visible. with
! clear sky, from dark til twenty minutes
pat eleven % the west of north. and from
IMenty minutes past eleven till dat light 10
ne est u north. Just how long ii will
'nt!nue visible cannot 70 present pe toll.
,ut y Will undoubtedly be a brilliant ol.iect
y ne evening SKY Tor several days, and pos
'iDls we =, hence. The line u reasoning
'dopted IN regard % is present distance
esti>. however, % the conclusion that II II
10 briliancy.
u may be Interesting 10 know that The
cASt.: "a tne t'ii Yesterday morning vas
ouf times The greatest observed len.th II
Al carried ny the comet of 1872. That.
lo~cser, = no proof that the two are moi
IDENTICAL, A. he apparent length Of tail de-
'enas upon me On ancs from the sun when
cen, alu also, 10 4 very large extent. t,pou
= Distance ~ the same lime from the OBJ
erscr, who watches II from the surface 81
ne ever moving earth. --CA.eago Irsbar.
= II