The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-09-23
THE COnEr's PLUNGE.
Profeslor noN Thinks Il Must 4
MeadlonE Iuto the Sun, >,

Professor nou Thinks Il Mu,t Fall
neadionE Iuto the Sun.
WASHINGTON, September 22.-Proiessor
Lewis boss, Of the Dudley Observatory,
Albany, is now in Washington on his way
TO Santiago de Chile, where he Is to oh.
serve the transit OF Venus. Professor Boss
said to-day, concerning the comet now to
be seen near tho sun; II have
scarcely doubt in my own mind
that We arc actually witnessing u return
OF the great comets of 1913 and
1880. | believe that the perihelion pass.
age will be lound to have occurred some
hours previous TO Greenwich midnight
Of the 18th, and that the orbit will be
found 10 be elliptical, with period Of less
than three years. We may, therefore, ex.
pect the comet back again. In 1884, II not
sooner. At each fresh plunge into the solar
atmosphere the comet, which at that time
is moving with the enormous velocity Of
800 miles per miles per second, will be i'm.
peded in It's flight. The result Of this will
be to make the intervals between success.
sive returns continually diminish in length.
Hotter and hotter will become the mad
flight OF the splendid comet under the all
powerful and increasing attraction Of The
sun. At last, and as believe before the
close Of the present century, the comet on
some Of Its recurring approaches to the
sun, will meet low down in tho solar At.
mosphero an obstruction too great to be
resisted.
1t will then fall headong into tho sun
and vanish from the catalogue OF comets
forever. This catastrophe may occur next
year or some year Inter, but I believe Il
must come sooner or later. am more
inclined to believe that the destruction Of
the comet will take place suddenly rather
than by a gradual wasting away. 1t Is
even possible that this event will occur
without our knowledge, but il we are
fortunate enough, some timc when the
comet is on its homeward journey 10 the
sun, VIC shall watch him gradually an.
preaching the great lun,inary OF day, until
cast in his rays, and then We shall watch
in vain Tor his emergencc. This may seem
to be bold prediction, and l may have
made some error whose existence do not
now suspect I II so l shall be glad to have
it pointed out, and at all events shall watch
Tor the first rude elements OF the present
comet which are yet to be completed
with fervent interest" II this proves
to be a return OF the Gould comet
OF 1880 It, will not long remain in view. By
the, 26th .ot September it will be about
twenty degrees west .of the sun. 1t will
then be only one-tenth as bright as on the
10Th, or only about half as bright MS on the
10th OF September. On October 10Th It's
distance from the sun will be about forty
degrees west, and it will be only one.fl.
teenth part as bright as on the 10th. 1t will
probably still be seen in large telescopes,
though to best advantage in equatorial lat.
itudes. rl7s.' f.
Short as this period OF visibility will
probably be, it ought 10 be long enough to
enable astronomers TO reap an abundant
harvest Of observations, which shall settle
the form of the orbit within narrow limits,
and determine with certainty whether the
hypothesis Of Professor Boss be true.
The observer Of the new comet at the
Naval Observatory this morning says: at
was very prominent object, rising about
half an hour before the sun and to the
southwark Of it at ten or twelve degrees.
The comet was very plainly seen with the
naked eye after sunrise. About @ A. II. it
was easily followed with the telescope.
This is the third instance in hundred
years OF the observation OF comet in
broad daylight with Meridian instru.
mept,"