The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-06-06
COMETS



Is there anythin G incredible or even sur.
prising in the hypothesis that comet might
have struck the earth in the remote past
Is il not rather marvel, AZ Mr.. Donnelly
suggests, that the earth should escape col
lision for single century, Kepler affirmed
that comets are scattered through the heav.
ems with ms much profusion as are fishes in
the ocean. Arago estimated that the comets
belonging to the solar system within the
orbit of Neptune numbered 1880, 900.
Lambert regards 800, 600, 900 as n very mod
crate estimate. These computations more
over, do not include the fiery wanderers
who may at any moment visit us from out
side the solar system But how many Of
these comets come near the orbit Of the
earth? II is certain that some actually in
tersect its orbit, while others approach il
very closely. In the former category may
be mentioned Gambart's comet, Brorsen's
comet, Enck's comet, IIalley's comet. The
comet dissolved October 10, 1880, by Louis
Swift of Rochester, N. Y, was only distant
from the earth about one-tenth of one per
cent of the distance of the earth from the
sun. The new comet, discovered June %,
1881, was at its nearest point distant less
than one third of one per cent. of the dis
lance of the sun from the earth. In the
year 1879 Lexells comet approached the
earth so closely that il would have increased
the length of the sidereal year by three
hours il its mass had been equal to the
carth's. This same comet did actually strike
our fellow planet Jupiter, or, at all events,
became SO entaDgled among Jupiter's satel-
ltes as to lose its original orbit. Not one of
the satellites altered its movements hairs
breadth, but it must be remembered that we
had then and have now no glasses that
would enable us to discern the effects OF
such visitation upon the surface of Jupi-
ter or its moons. The comet might have
covered Jupiter with clay and gravel 100
feet or 100 miles thick, aud have formed
clouds of its seas five miles in thickness,
without our knowing anything about it.
Many of the comets belonging to the
solar system are 30 small that their contact
with the earth might produce but triAing re-
siderable portion of comet gas with our at
mosphere might produce local disturbances
of serious character. Humboldt expressed
in Cosmos the opinion That the vapor in
the tails of comets mingled with our atihos-
phere in the years 1918 and 1928. There is
reason to believe that part of the gaseous
prolongation of Bicla's comet came in con-
tact with the earth between 1852 and 1872,
and Mr.. Donnelly would ascribe TO this
cause tho remarkable confagrations which,
in the autumn OF 1871, broke out with all
the suddenness of spontaneous combustion
in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Northern Hi
nois. II is certain that this small comet
crossed the orbit OF the earth ia 1882 only
month before the earth arrived ut the same
point, and that in 1889 and 1916 1t came
nearer and nearer to collision having actual
ly been split in two by its proximity to the
spth. In 1852, 1859 and 1866 this little
comet should have returned, but it did not.
1t was lost. II was dissipated. That it's
material was hanging somewhere in frag.
ments about the Garth is proved by the fact
tndt Wheh, III No'emueti 1919, ~ WAS feuio-
covered moving off from the earth into
space it had decided nucleus, but the tail
was gone The meteoric shower experienced
IN Europe IN November, 1877, is unnesita.
tingly ascribed to the fall of gravel stones
once belonging to the tail of the Biela
comet, but which, as they fell, blazed and
consumed themselves with the friction Of
our atmosphere. IN. Y. Sun.