The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1881-08-12

Is getting among millions Of stars. and
1 wanted to see whether the tail would
prove an obstruction to the rays of
starlight coming through it to the earth.
] wanted to quiet Mark Twain's fears
and relieve him from his generous self
imposed task of standing on his house
top with pole TO fsnd of the comets
tail If it should wbisk around this vav
He can climb down now, for the stars
showed very wildly through the tail.
BY the way, curious thing happened
in taking the plate. 1 exposed the
plate to the tail Of the comet for three
hours. The plate was 80 sensitive that
diffused starlight strained 1t. Well.
when ] was through the experiment
and had developed the negative I start
cd and thought that ithad been ruined.
1t looked AZ though shaggy substance
had been passed over it, leaving innu-
merable straight lines all in the same
direction. Then / laughed aloud at
nay tlunder. The double motion of
the Telescope and plate, one motion TO
counteract the earth's motion, and an-
other that Of the comet, had left the
stars motions u shift for themselves.
And they bad pursued their own motion
across the plae, leaving little photo
graphs Of them elves at every instant
and thus each one formed a continuous
line. The photograph is vivid, and is
AS good as can be taken. IL Is g in
length. The eastern or convex side is
brighter than the concave side, which
has become more flmy and delicate
"Have you aimed the spectI oscope
at the visitor yet 10 see whether any
thing can be learned Of it, composi-
tion r.
Eyes, and am going to keep doing
IT ss long as the comet can be seen.
My objest is TO zee if the nucleus gives
any but continuous spectrum. Sun
light does not give continuous spsc-
trum, but is broken up with lines
which show the presence Of many min
erals burning. OAly solid, or liquid
heated TO vaporous condition, gives
a continuous spectrum. This is what
the speetroseope showed when directed
70 the nucleus, but in such an object
as a comet a number Of observations
must be made 10. arrive at truth. 60 i
looked for absorption lines which are
given by incandescent matter shining
through gas. If 1 had got the lines /
would have been sure Of gas around the
nucleus but the spectrum was con-
tinuous.
"My second object" continued Prof.
Draper, twas to zee whether the tail
shone by light reflected from the sun.
Now, sunlight, even If reflected from
the moon or star, gives lines in the
spectrum. But the spectroseope gave
no lines in its spectrum. Therefore
the tail shines with its own light.
My third object was to examine the
coma and see whether it is giving out
bright bands in its spectrum. Bright
bands are due when seen in the spec
trum, to compounds of different chem
ical elements aud lines, to distinct
elements. In spectrum of the elee-
trio incandescent light there are bands,
and they are broken up, showing a
mixture Of hydrogen. In the spectrum
of the coma of this comet, however, the
bands are much softened down by the
brilliant continuous spectrum Of the
tail"
"What then. in your opinion, is the
comet made of r
The nucleus is either solid or LIQUID,
probably solid and mineral, heated by
contact with the sun to just the degree
OF heat that if you heated it more it
would liquefy. / do not believe that
the nucleus is any hotter than you
could heat a mineral on earth. To
gether with this mineral is probably
some volatile fluid like naphtha. Our
sun falls in with this huge ball wander
ing in space and attracts it. The comet
rushes toward it and the naphtha heats
up on the side toward the sun and sets
the whole affair on fire. The tail that
it throws off / take to be particles
thrown off from the nucleus like rain.
The rain drops are probably little me-
teors, and it is possible that they may
sometimes get away from the comets
influence, leave following after it, and
set mp for themselves as travellers in
space. 1t IS pretty certain that space
is peopled by meteors. As to the
coma, that may be the volatile liquid
and incandescent mineral on the side
toward the sun"
"How does the tail precede the comet
on your theory Of the comets constitu-
tion :"
"Well, have to so beyond observ-
ed facts now. IL is not extravagant to
say that when the fourth state of mat
ter, recently so much mooted, is fully
understood, then this curious conduct
Of comets tail viii he explained. Il
is certain that electricity is connected
with the luminosity of the comet, anC
why not the fourth state of matter
In going around the sun every come
loses substance, and probably meteor
fly off. Why may not the suns fierc'
heat develop this fourth state of matte
and liberate an agent at work which j
repulsive to the sun and any of it
works This agent may be this fourtl
state of matter"
"What are you going to do next il
your observatory :"
81 want to get large photograph G
the coma by itself. Then I'm going I
travel over the nucleus with the spec
troscope and look all over the comet
.tail for solar lines"
A Kentucky COW raised on the farm