The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-04-09
The Approaching Comet.

The Approaching Comet.
A NEW YORK ASTRONOMER, GRANTING THE
MOST EXTREME AND SENSATIONAL AssUNP-
TIOYs, DEMONSTRATES THAT II WILL NOT
CAUSE ANY DISTURBANCE THAT WE CAN DE-
TEcT.
The following communication from
Henry VI. Parkhurst, Esq, OF Brooklyn
n. Y, 10 the New York Herald, will be
read with pleasure and satisfaction by all
who do not crave sensational pabulum
All Of your readers who expect that they
or any Of their friends will be living upon
the earth in the year 1897 must take Q per-
sonal interest in the question whether at
that time the heavens are TO be rolled away
as a scroll, and the elements melt with
fervent heat, and however little faith we
may have in the prediction OF such an
event, IL will do no harm to make a
few suggestions, which will tend TO dispel
the fifteen years OF dread fOTebodings Offer
ed 10 us.
The orbit Of the comet which so sud-
denly appeared in the Southern Hemis
phere i'm 1880 so closely resembled that OF
the comet Of 1913, which wildly remem-
Der having seen during the greater part OF
day within few degrees Of the sun, that
| will assume that il was the same body,
although / believe il to have been a differ
ent comet moving In very similar orbit.
The approach to the sun on both occasions
was so close that ] will assume that it pass
ed within the SUMS atmosphere, and that
its period was thereby so shortened that it
will again reach its perihelion in 1897, al
though ! do not believe that. And / will
further assume that in 1897, coming still
nearer, ii will plunge so deeply as to be
stopped in its course and swallowed up
by the sun. will admit that in that event
il would add an amount OF heat TO the sun
from the stoppage OF its motion many times
as great as that which would. arise from its
mere combustion. i propose to ask what
effect that would have upon the earth.
In the first place that heat would be ra-
dated into space in all directions, and not
merely toward the earth. We should re-
ceive only that proportion OF ii which our
earth would intercept. Adopting New
combs parallaX, that proportion would be
l-2174 miliOnth pant of the entire heat pro-
duced. Helmholtz estimates that if the
earth were 10 fall into the sun the amount
OF heat produced would he 400 times 1900,
or 4,fSO.0 900 degrees. If then the comet
were equal i'm mass to the earth il would
produce an equal amount Of heat. of which
we should receive only 1924 milliOnth
part, which would raise the temperature OF
the earth about 1-j00th part Of degree
Unless the comet were very much larger
than this. and unless the heat were received
suddenly, the most delicate scientific in
strlments could not possibly detect it,
But we know that in fact the mass OF that
comet was very much less than that OF the
earth. We have not only the indirect evil
dence from the fact that comets generallyhave
a mass so small as to be inappreciable, so that
il would be exceptional if this individual
comet had mass sufficient to iniure us
even by direct impact, but we know that
this individual comet has a mass very much
less than that OF the earth. BY the n.y.
pothesis it has twice, within the period OF
modern accurate observations, come up
from below the ecliptic, passed around the
sun. and instantly descended to the depths
OF space. Each time its attraction has
tended to change the obliquity OF the
ecliptic; and il is incredible that if its mass
had been one fiitleth OF that OF the earth
the effect upon the obiquity OF the ecliptic
would not have been detected. | should
be glad il could bring out these figures
hundred thousand times greater, adding
few degrees to our present mean tempera-
tlre, mitigating the severity of our win
tiers, and giving us some slight assistance
toward reaching the North pole; but cam
not see enough prospect OF that TO ever hope
for a collision.
These considerations have peculiar in
terest Just now, from the fact that the
Wells comet, now visible, may possibly
strike the sun and be consumed byit. Ac-
cording TO the orbit Of Boss the comet will
come within 100000 miles OF the sun,
and according to that Of Chandler it will
come within 100000 miles OF it. As these
two orbits are computed independently OF
each other it is not improbable that mo-
ton directly toward the sun would well
satisfy all the observations. The question
arises whether its mass is sufficient TO pro-
duce any appreciate effect. The planet
Mars is much smaller than the earth,
but the planet Mars at q greater
distance from the sun and the
earth would be bright enough TO be
easily seen by the naked eve in the bright
est moonlight; whereas Weiss comet is so
faint i'm the moonlight as not to be visible
at all i'm a telescope which will show tenth
magnitude stars. II there were a solid
body millionth part as large as the earth
/ in the position OF the comet 1t would be
very much more easily seen. Even II the
comet should fall into the sun | am not ut
all sure that il would create local disturb
ance sufficient large to cause large sun
spot; and we may be very sure it would not
cause any disturbance which we could de-
tect in any other way.
Tomorrow Thursday evening is the
first opportunity for seeing the comet in the
evening in the absence Of moonlight. At
half-past o O'Clock the bright star Vega will
be seen near the horizon in the northeast.
Directly above il is the head OF Draco. Mid
way between them is the comet, which is
moving little more than half degree per
day toward the northeast. But the moon
will rise before the comet is far above the
horizon, so that ii may be more readily
seen at later hour on succeeding evenings,
in the same position relatively 10 the stars,
allowing for It's motion. From its position
II VIII be easy to determine much more GER
tainly Than is now known what its exact
path will be.
When man has to neglect his work
because OF rheumatism, and fails TO apply
the Great German Remedy, we have very
little patience with him; unless OF course
mitigating circumstances should present