The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-03-13

aud yet so subtle and which must come
from without. He did not find out
what i. was, and we have not given
it definite name, hut we know
that it is carbonic acid gas" The speaker
then introduced the subject OF comets, and
had shown upon the screen a series OF
views so brilliant rs TO call forth
applause. The comet comes into
our planetary system, and plunges through
II in an erratic curve, dashing quite near
the sun in its course. The comet of 1912
was the greatest of this century. Then
came Donati's comet of 1857, and the last
one, OF 1852. The comet has many wonder
iul phases, appearances which are so
remarkable as 10 battle all description. The
most laborious and beautiful astronomical
diagrams ever drawn are those of Donati's
There is nothing TO starlle in these
but everything to interest.
1t was first deiniated on the oath of Sep.
teMber, being then in the constellation
Great Bear. The ineXplicable spurs so ,000,-
OOO miles long and running 10 the very
opposite direction from what gravitation
would pull them, was expatiated upon. What
they were, or how caused, no mortal knows,
while many mortals trlel to frame u theory.
The peculiar qualification of the tail
of that comet was adverted, and the
apparently solid head, or nucleus,
which cast beautiful shadow
millions Of miles long, On Donati's comet
there were wonderful Jets of light on one
side, which showed in brilliant contrast
with the darker portion. To show the inn
palpability OF the cometic tail, the speaker
remarked that piece of that tail ten mil.
lion miles in thickness would not reflect so
much light as two cubic feet of common
hnA 10. all -, n &.
the tail is always driven away from the sun.
To show that Newton had very clear idea
OF the actual facts concerning comets, II
view from his principal" drawn in 1888,
WAS thrown upon the street. The phenonl-
euon referred to, by which the tail of the
comet seems to be pushed away from the
sun, demonstrates that in spite OF the prev.
alent belief that the solar influence is one
of attraction, as seen in gravitation, it has
In some way, arepellent force. In referring
to Newton, the fact was noticed that that
great scientist frequently quoted the con.
illusions OF an astronomer "in Boston Of
New England" One OF the especially fine
views presented WAS that OF the comet o.
1880 A recent discovery has entirely
changed all of our ideas on certain ques
tons. That discovery is the Identification
of comets with certain meteor streams into
which the earth is precipitated by its orbit
once in about thirty years. Holding what
he declared to be a piece of comet in his
hand, the speaker said it had history
more thrilling than that of any atom of oul
earth, lift could only tell its story. A VIVID
description was given of the Ominous physi
cal phenomena which accompanied the
falling Of the meteoric specimen exhibited
This stone, heavy as iron, undoubtedly
came from the solid head of u comet. TC
illustrate the effect of such erratic frag
ments when striking the sun, calculation
has been made, with the conclusion that 1
meteor 100 miles in diameter striking TN,
sun with all of the accelerated momentum
gathered from its parabOlic orbit, would no
be noticed on the earth, and the terrbl,
impingement would Keep up the solar heal
but few hours One of the most remarka
Bile statements of modern times comes IRON
the most renowned savant of the Frencl
academy of sciences. II is to the eilec
that, as result of his eSami
nation of meteoric specimens, h
finds them composed of real sandstone
Now, this means great deal, for sandston
comes from the destruction OF prevlou
rocks; it is the washings, ground down re
suits, from volcanic throes. SO that IL az
pears, in short, that meteors and comet
are portions of demolished, worn-ou
worlds. These meteoric fragments resem
BILE almost exactly the sandstone whic
held the copper of the Lake Superior r.
gion. 1t is manifest, them that these mett
ors come from n world much like our own
Is this the end II Is this what is to becom
of worn-out world2 Let us not go iul
Their out into the region of the fixed star:
In the ancient pyramids of Gheezeh som,
thing like telescope tube was constructed
through which the pole star was constant
in view. Through that tube there can not
no star be seen. IL is not that the heaven
have moved ont OF place, but the pyramid
the earth, have shifted during these thor
sands Of years. We speak of the apparer
motions OF the heavens, but that star
there, fixed in its proper place. Just her
we can appreciate the new astronomy
With the spectroscope we can discern TIL
motions ofthe "fixed' stars, and in singl
minute can detect movement whic
the naked eye could not perceive i
thousands OF years. When star
approaching the earth spectro.cop
shows the green tending to blue, an
when II is receding the green pales int
yellow. This is n hint OF the method b
which results are attained. One star VIZ
particularly considered, Sirius. In III
| OlueH tlluS NuHSttllullOUs tOutIOlltu VI
stars In the arrangements Of diagrams, an
specimen illustrations were given. The e.
cellent astronomical Photographic work
Cambridge was referred TO, especially in IL
study of the stars. Sirius is the largest stl
To tho naked eye. II is one Of the near,
fixed stars, yet is hundreds OF thousands
millions Of miles away. II Is twenty tim,
larger than the sun In diameter and 1870
times larger In bulk. There are four typ
OF stars in their chemical constitution OF
of these classes is younger than our su
+ and in this class is Sirius. In the days
Ptolemy Il was red now IL is white
blush, Sirius is slowly moving ava
from us, about ten miles sccon
In Orion we find the same typo OF sta
as the sun. The great star Clust
was thrown upon the screen
which Herschel said; mo man looks up,
IL for the first time without feeling
anazement. In the familiar milky wa,
. the universe Is seen In the making. o
. new astronomy began with Gallileo ana |
/. insignificant telescope. Now we have o
forty.iive feet long, with thirty-inch o
ject glass. From all our varied studies
learn that this present universe is the 81
a cessor OF those that preceded IL, and is b
the predecessor OF those TO come aft,
! IL is one point In the grand sequence
!, eternal events. All of our studies lead
to be careful OF presumptuous speculation
We are told that everything points TO n ,
graduation of heat, to running down o
:. clock which there is no hand to rewir
, But when we are told that the sun mai
u man, and that we shall end with II, we m
well protest against any such conclusio
In that tabled race OF mites, who lived |
, an hour, their Herbert Spencer may hS
prophesicd that the declining sun wot
: bury the race OF mites with Il In etcr-
u night, but, In spite of such predictions, II
( = fact that the sun did rise again
\. very next morning. Boston Herald.
--=---=--