The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1882-12-02
COMETS.
More About the Celestial Wanderers-s
Some of the Greatest in History.

More About the Celestial Wanderers.
Some of the Greatest in History.
Although comets are not now re-
garded, as in the time Of the ancients,
as portents of war, death and disaster,
they still cause much wonder and
speculation. 1t is no new thing to oc-
casionally have the superstitious and
ignorant Of the community looking for
the destruction of our planet by col
ision with one of these strange visitors
from space. In the year 1773 a great
panic spread over France caused by
the rumor that Lalande,, the great
mathematician, predicted comet
which would destroy the earth; and
not longer ago than 1872 much uneasi-
ness was felt by many in this country
by the prediction of the confagration
of the world on the 18th of August,
caused by comet discovered by
Plantamour, the Sures astrono-
mer. Notwithstanding the Won
derful progress of science in this
century, there is still much diversity
of opinion as to the probability of a
comet coming in contact with the
earth. Some calculations 60 to prove
that in the case of such an event the
shock would be slightly felt, owing to
the trihing density of the comet com
pared to the atmosphere, and yet ii the
nucleus is a solid body Of metallic
density, as some scientists suppose,
the destruction caused by its striking
the earth would be terrific. "The
heavens would be Illuminated with
resplendence beyond that of a thousand
suns, tie sky radiating light which
would blind every eye that beheld it,
and heat that would melt the hard
est rocks" But Necomb tells US that
the chances Of such calamity are so
minute that they need not cause the
slightest uneasiness. There has lately
been some talk in the papers Of a
comet, which, at it's perihelion in 1883,
is to fall into the sun 1t may be a
comfort to the believers of this to know
that Proctor says that it is doubtful
whether, if a comet should fall into the
sun, anything very dreadful would
happen.
The nature Of comets is. in a s eat:
measure, still an unsoIyed problem
whether the theory that they are 8.
mass OF true gas cannot be told; brrt
it can hardly be doubted that they are
composed Of some substance which is
vaporized by the heat of the solar rays.
Comets, although assuming many diff:
ferent forms, generally consist of three
parts-the nucleus, the coma (mean-
ing hairy star, in Latin, from whence
it derives it's name) and the tail the
nucleus is the visible luminous point,
surrounded by the coma, a mass of
vapory appearance, and forms the
head. The tail is "a continuation of
the coma, and consists of a stream of
milky light; its tenuity is such that
the smallest stars can at times be
seen through a million miles of it.
In the early ages of the world the ap-
pearance of a comet in the heavens was
looked upon as the forerunner Of some
great invasion, pestilence, the death
of some ruler or nations, or some other
such dire calamity. 1t was said that
the comet which appeared in the year
IA B. C. announced the death of Julius
Caesar; that Of 81 A. D., presaged the
cruelties of Nero, and the comet OF
COB the origin of Mohammedanism, be-
cause its tail was in the form Of a
cimeter; and as far down as 1866, the
comet which then appeared was sup
posed to have anncInoed the ap-
preaching conquest Of England by
William the Norman. The orbits Of
nearly one-third of the six hundred
comets which have been observed since
the birth of Christ have been calculated
but it is impossible to predict with
any precision the return of more than
oipht or ninp