The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-12-09
An Answer to the Various Theories on the
Origin of the Comet.

hfLO, hAWAUt NOV. Iflbbx.
Mr.. EDITOR About eight or MINIS months ago,
my attention was called 20 an article I'm one OF the
Honolulu papers, setting forth the fact that GER
tain astronomers had discovered q protubeTance ON
tine face OF the sun, several thousand miles In ox-
tent. After reading the article in question, / re-
marked to several gentlemen who were present,
that in a short time i would show that this protu-
berance, detached from the sun, in the shape OF n
comet, thereby predicting the coming Of our recent
visitor.
/ have a theory Of my own regarding the origin
OF comets, and that is, that they come from an
overloaded sun. After this protuborance was dis
covered on the face Of the sun, itf disappeared
where did il go to? It was thrown into space and
made its appearance in its present shape, a ball OF
fire shining from its own light, the only body In the
heavens that does excepting the sun. / claim that
this comet will obey tho laws that all comets have
before il. And will travel through space-obeying
the fixed laws ~ nature until the surface has cooled
on as other comets have, and in due time will he
discovered by astronomers las they havo done be-
fore with other lost cOmets) a new p~lanct-and
then will take its proper position aud follow its or
bit as other planets do, and viii pass through evo-
lutiOns as the earth has done. For / claim that
the earth was originally a comet. That the sur
face cooled off, and that the original fire still exists,
that the material that flowed out Of Mauna Loa
about one year ago, a distance OF % miles through
the Hilo rains and gulches, exhibiting at the ex-
treme end, lava OF q perfect white heat I claim
that this very material is a fac-simile Of the sub
stance of which the sun IL composed SHOWING the
material Of all comets and planets, sustaining the
opinion OF astronomers, that at one time this earth
was a ball OF fire, showing a cause for volcanoes
and earthquakes, giving vent to the pent up inter-
Hdi lCs-Aia Bum cAihts NOV Il DIDDOHe TO 20
back to the sun and give my opinion Of the cause
Of these protuberances. Take the sun as admitted
to be a ball Of fire and let us reason a moment.
claim to keep that heat alive in the sun for the
number Of years it has existed, (Which IL severa)
there must be something to feed it. Now arises
the question how tits fed2 / claim it 10 the mole
cules that exist everywhere. Why Is it fod? NV
reasons are these that a ball Of fire existing az
long a. the sun has would naturally cool of, as all
comets have, coming from the sun. Now / claim
that to keep the sun alive there must be something
in the nature OF fuel to keep up the fire. And In
keeping up this fire, it must enlarge the sun, caus-
ing a protuberance. Whatever tina sun is sur
sounded with, this feeding of the Sun il the cause
of its overload, and when it is overloaded Il creates
a protuberance, which in course OF time is elected
into space, and that material, whatever IL was, il
the comet of to-day.
III the above theory is not plausible,.i 1T certainly
has the merit of being original.
THOMAS SPENCER.
1.-The above interesting and original article was
to US some time ago, but did not. for
some reasons unknown, reach us until yesterday
Ed. p. G. A