The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1882-04-05
TIE COMING GREAT COMET.

W a y DOhAS dStAbhNhASA IA ~AA1"Ay .
week ago fulfills halfofthe promises
made for it, we may expect TO be-
hold, in May or June, a celestial
spectacle such as has not been equal
led since 1853 or 1911. This comet
although some 100000 miles
from its perihelion, which it will not
reach for three months, shows Q
bright tail and a star-hke nucleus.
The inference is fair that the comet
is a very large one, and that when
it gets into our neighborhood it will
present a magnificent appearance.
Moreover, Prof Chandlsr's figures
show that the comet Is plunging al
most straight at the sun, which il
viii probably approach within 1905
600 miles. The only other comets,
in the long list of those bodies
whose orbits have been calculated,
which approached anything like as
near to the sun as this are the comet
of $40 b. c., the comet of 1868, the
comet of 1850, often called Newton s
comet, the comet of 1S43, and the
comet of 1880. The last named was
observed only in South America and
Australia and at the Cape of Good
Hope. Concerning the comet oi
$40 B. c.. of which frightful things
are related, and which is said to
have split in two, not much is
known, but the measurements made
in the other cases are generally to
be depended upon. In fact, it was
the nearness of the approach of the
comet of 1850 which led Newton to
anticipate Sossible peril to the earth
froiH the fall of a great cC''o ,rl'et lheo
the snn. This is not the popular
view of the danger from comets, the
fear usually being that they may
may strike the earth, or produce
pestilence by mingling the substance
of their tails with our atmosphere.
OF late, the other view has been
made more conspicuous, especially
since Mr.. Proctors recent article on
what he calls the menaeing comet
of 1880, which he anticipates may
return in 1897.
The appearance of this new comet
on the heels of the discussion
awakened by Mr., Proctor's sugges-
ton gives the subject renewed in
-erest, especially in view of the an
louncement that the coming comet
5 going so close TO the sun. Unless
he calculators have made a very
great blunder it will pass through
he corona, and, if large enough,
nay Craze the luminous surface. 1t
should be noticed that there is a
discrepancy between the estimates
# the perihelion distance made by |
Prof Chandler of Harvard Univer-
ity and Prof Boss of the Dudley |
observatory, the latter making the
distance considerable greater than
hat above given. Both agree, how |
yer, that the approach will be a
lose one. The question whether
he earth may not at some time be |
n danger from a great comet is all
he moro interesting because men of
cience are not exactly in accord
pom it. Mr.. Proctor is not the
My astronomer who thinks that if
yer the world is TO be destroyed
With heat it will be when a great /
Omet plunges into the sun. Even
hose who think Mr.. Proctor is mis-
aiken in his conclusions admit that,
iven a comet big enough and mass
70 enough, undoubtedly its fall
pom the sun would prove disastrous
the earth Bntthey say it would
eguire a body having q mass some
hing like that OF Jupiter to produce
lch effects, and compared with Ju-
tier the most massive comets ever
zen are mere pigmies, Besides,
lere seems good reason to belive
lae a comet would, on approaching
ose enough to the sun, be pulled
pieces and so drop piecemeal into
le great orb, the fall being pro.
nged perhaps through many revo-
tions, so that the accession of heat
used by the conversion of the /
'met's motion would be distributed (
'er a considerable Period of time.
esisies, as t-leqHg has pointed iS
4, ia a..eiat fell blta the- ean the ]
crease OF heat woRll 10 nainly /
'cd uP in producing expansion of I
g sGa's orb, and would aferward
) radiated oHt again through !
ne space of years Another very |
teresting objection has been raised Z
Mr.. Proctor's theory. namely, I
at as three quarters eftha sai,ti.ce |
hleh the earth presents to the sun :
covered deep with water, slch an j
co.g,1e:s.se of the suns heat as the fall a
a comet might produce would t
use a great increase Of ieyapora-
IN, which Yeula! lIise UP the extra !
'at, and 50 protectth the earth from :
lrm, According to this view we 4