Dodge City times., 1881-07-21
The dwarf of to

| Instance tnan the giant
The perfect comet combines nucleus
and train. The beauty belongs to the
train. which is unsubstantal and tenn
posary; while the mass and density re-
side in the almost invisible but perma-
nent nucleus. The solid nucleus moves
about the sun in nearly parabolic
orbit. obedjent to the same law of at
| traction which governs the motions OF
any one of the planets: whereas each
particle of the train moves in its own
hyperbolic orbit. in consequence of a
repulsion from the sun often two or
three times rs great rs the ordinary
solar attraction These particles of
the train are electrified bodies. and have
the same electricity Us that of the sun;
the particles which are most highly
electrified advance to the front edge OF
the tail. while those tn It are the least
electrified fall back to the rear. Some
of the particles are electrified Just
enough to balance the solar gravitation;
so that, after separating from the
nucleus. they become Deutral to the
suns action and move uniformly in
| straight lines. but without ceasing 10 be
part of the tail. The particles which
are less highly electrified remain at
tracted by the sun, but move in hyper
bolic orbits in the opposite branch of
the hyperboia, however, to that in
which the repelled particles move.
This theory, in an imperfect state,
was rudely applied by Bessel to the tail
OF Halley's comet. in 1855. But the
comet discovered by Donati. in 1853,
offered as fine an opportunity as can be
desired for its full veriication. How
grand was the beauty of that comet!
All the world stopped in the street.
when 1t became visible alter twilight,
and wondered at it with bated breath
A few centuries ago it would have
caused universal dismay. and men
would have paled at the frightful por-
tent. But the Christian of to-day be-
holds it as the love!iest messenger of
divine wisdom. A multitude OF OBJ
seryations were made upon the train
as well as the head. in all civilized
countries, and the theory of the train
was sustained in every detail. The ele-
gance of the shape strictly con!ormed
to the ideal constructions of the geom-
eter.
Ii the nucleus of comet were taken
away, the train would continue to move
of through space, undisturbed by the
loss Of its head. Singular rs this phe-
nOmenon may seem, it has been actu-
ally observed. At midday on the 2Sth
of February. 1913, groups OF people in
many of the towns of New England,
especially at Portland. collected at the
corners OF the streets. gazing up to-
ward the sun. Protecting their eyes
in the shadows of the houses, they
saw brilliant object few degrees
from the sun. Such marvellous spec
tacle had never before been beheld. A
few days later wonderfully brilliant
tail of comet was seen skirting the
horizon soon after sunset. and reach
ing more than one-third of the way
round the sky. What we now saw was
tail without head, as we had before
seen head almost destitute OF tail But
head and tail were members of the same
comet.
In about two hours the comet of 1913
went round the sun, from one side to
the other. What could have become
of the tail, which was reaching out
about hundred millions OF miles from
the sun as far as to the earth's orbits
There have been those who have ac-
tually adopted the incredble-I may
say the impossible that the
tail rotated through this immense cir
cult, developing centrifugal force
which all the unIied powers OF the uni
verse could not have sustained. But
no. The comet practically left its tail
behind it. and be gan to grow a new tail
as it receded from the sun. There were
thus two tails, nearly side by side
stretching from opposite sides of the
sun in nearly the same direction The
new tail began at the head of the !
comet; whereas the old deserted tail
began without any head at some dis