Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-06-16
A Deadly Comet.

A Deadly Comet.
The idea that the comet OF 1880 may
| be identical, not only with that Of l54S,
but with that of 1868. the period having
been reducad from l75 years to 81, was
suggested at the Astronomical Society in
April. 1880, by Mr.. Martin, mathema-
tician of great skill, and well known for
the zeal with which he attacks problems
relating to the movements of the satel-
lites of Saturn and Mars. He says:
"Supposing the comet of 1848 is the
same as that of 1868. it would not be
very wonderful that it should reappear
after 81 years, instead of 175 years. The
velocity of.a body moving in the solar
system depends simply on its distance
from the sun, and on the period of revo-
luton. II the velocity is reduced by .
resisting medium, there will be reduo-
ton Of the period. and there Is nothing
whatever unreasonable in the supp0si-
ton that. however weak the corona may
be, its resistance would have q very
great effect upon the motion Of the
comet which rushes through it; 80 that
should not be at all surprised If it
should turn out tnat the comet OF 1880
| is the same as the comet of 1913 and
that of 1868, and that its revolution has
been so much affected that possibly It
MAJ return in, say, seventeen years."
Now, il this theory of the comet OF 1880
be the true one, we are somewhat moro
nearly interested in the mstter than we
are in most theories respecting comets.
Ii, already, the comet experiences such
resistance in passing through the corona
when at its nearest to the sun that its
period undergoes q marked diminution,
The effect must of necessity be increased
at each return, and after only few,
possibly one or two, circuits, the comet
will be absorbed by the sun.
1t will be remembered that Sir Isaso
Newton recognized the possibility that
it might happen to comet, having such
an orbit as that of the comet of 1850
Generally known as Newton's comet),
and that he had considered the conse-
quence5 might be full of danger to this
earth. Yet no only dwelt on the danger
arising, a. he judged, from the addition
of 80 much fuel to the solar fires. We
know now that the real danger lies, not
from the absorption of so much matter
as may exist in comets head and nu-
cleus, but from the conversion of the
m Dmentum Of the swiftly rushing mass
of the comet into heat, the thermal
equivalent of its mechanical energy.
have for my own part been long OF
opinion that the periodical increase of
such stars as Mira (the Wonderful starr
in the whale, and Eta, of the ship Argo,
is due to the motion of some large com.
| ct, followed by q meteoric train about
these stars. | have indicated fully In
my pheasant Ways in Science" the
reasons which induce me to believe thst
the Outburst of the so-called s'new star"
in the Northern Crown in 1856 is to be
similarly explained. Without saying
that consider there Is absolute danger
| of similar outburSt In the case of our
own sun when the comet of lsA3 shall
be absorbed by him "a result which will,
in my opinion, most certainly take
place), I will 90 80 far as to express my
belief that IL ever the day is to come
when ''the heavens shall dissolve 10 fer
vent heat" the cause of the catastro.
phe will be the downfall OF some great
comet on the sun.
l believe the passage even OF the
head OF comet over the earth would
do little harm, for the simple reason
| that the velocity with which the mete-
| Oric masses forming the head would
travel at the earth's distance from the
| sun would be too mall to lead to any
very mischievous result. II the shower
OF meteOric masses were very dense,
the meteors themselves being of the
larger sort, and so able to break their
way through the earth's atmosphere,
the shower might kill few Of the earth 8
inhabitants, or even many hundreds.
But there would be no Widespread de-
struction of life.
1t would be altogether otherwise,
believe, il a comet of the larger sort foil
into or were absorbed by the sun. The
danger would be in the SUMS own
weight, not in the comet or its attendant
| train. The bodies forming the head,
| nucleus and train of the comet would
fall in immense numbers, with enormous
| velocity, and each with mighty momen-
tum on the suns fiery surface. Possibly
Qn my opinion probably their most
destructive work would be accomplished
below that surface, under the still moro
stupeAdous attractive energy of that
smaller, because more condensed, orb,
within which l take to be the true ruling
center of the solar system.
1t might we'll be that the effects thus
produced would be but transient. In .
few weeks, possibly in . few days, or
even hours, the sun, excited for q while
to intense heat and splendor, would re-
sumo his usual temperature, his usual
luster. Such, indeed, was the nature
OF the change which affected the 80
called "new star" in the Northern
Crown. For day or two it shone out
with several hundred times its usual
lnster, and doubtless 1t poured forth
during those few days several hundred
times its usual heat. Then gradually
its fires cooled, its luster diminished,
and after few weeks had passed Il
shone, as it had shone before for hun.
dreds OF years, with the luster of ninth
magnitude star only. But 1t Is certain
that, II there are planets oircling around
that remote sun. and il the ordinary
light and heat Of that orb sufficed for
the requirements Of the inhabitants OF
those Orbs, the abnormal light and heat
during the outburst In 1866 must have
destroyed all living creatures from the
face Of each one Of those worlds.
1t is equally certain that il at any time
a great comet, falling directly upon the
sun. should. by the swift rush of Its me-
tcoric components. excite the frame OF
the sun to luster far exceeding that
with which he at present shines, the
sudden access of luster and heat would
prove destructive to every living crea.
ture, or at any rate to all the higher
forms of life upon this earth. And
though in few days the sun might 70
sumo his ordinary luster and no longer
glow with abnormal heat. he would
pour his rays upon family Of worlds in
| which not one Of the higher forms either
of vegetable or animal life would remain
in existence.-Richard A. Proctor's Fa.
Ssilidr Science STUDIES.
Why should We make rule for ues.
thetes that does not apply to othersp-
Boston Post. We should not. We