New-York tribune., 1884-12-17
COMETS AND KETEORS.
PROFESSOR PROCTOR TELLS OF THEIR NATURE AND
MOVEMENTS.


Professor Richard A. Proctor delighted and
instructed large, fashionable and Intellectual audience
on Monday evening at Chickcring Hail. with the third
and last of the series OF lectures on astronomy He
hitched the swlftest steeds Of fancy to tho
staid old chariot OF fact, and gave
his audience pleasant drive through space, giving
passing look at Suns planets and stars, and paying
particular attention to comets and meteors and their
peculiarities He examined in his introduction tho
many theories that have been advanced to explain the
of and TO account for their eristence
and showed that the latest developments OF science had
shown the fsty of the conjectures of the ancient AZ
well as Of the modern astronomer. lie continued:
have seen it mentioned many times In the last five
years that comets tail is beam Of light thrown from
the head or nucleus OF comet. comets head
cannot gather light and stars can be seen through IT,
which shows that has not the power producing lgt
suns heat and consists OF the vapOr OF iron, hydrogen
and Whether the tail is straight or cur. ed de-
Ing family OF comets. and it i noticed that comets are
obedent to the planets in our solar system.
Comets were looked upon by the anccnts as
evil Omens aud looked upon with superstition
by many good people to-day, who believe that they are
The comet OF 1879 sembled the comet Of 1882, and.
with the Of 1850 and. 1869. gives complete
illustration OF all the forms OF comets yet observed Tho
tiescnne and curyed and also a straight tan a. seen
in this country and in Europe had three tails Around
the head OF a comet there i yapbrOus matter tehS to
ward the sun When it reaches certain point tho
sun r.neIs II and if floats away in the share of mighty
tail. There is no light directly behind a comets head
generally though in allcs comet this region was pe-
culiary brilliant The comet Of lTil had ten tails each
having double end This comet passed so close to the
sun that il is "a wonder that il did not into ii.
The Only way a comet can iUlure the earth Is Dy
crossing its path and leaving metcOrc matter behind IN
which he earth will run. Comets sometimes dipp ar
The spectrOscOpc shows the Vapor OF carbon, hydro.
carbon and sodium, or common salt In tho tails ot
comets.
- .AIeeOrs and comets arc intimately connected Me-
teors are brilliant every hirythree year. me great
and extends beyond the planet Uranus Meteors are no
doubt the remnants OF disintegrat.d comets Ihey travel
M the rate uf tiry mites second and every year 4VO,-
600 900 them fan 20 the earth We are protected from
thrt bccae they usually small aud the atmosnlere
turns them into yapOr Large ones sometimes ielch the
earth There thousands of comet sy stems Ihey afe
thrown ont from planets Tie comet OF ls,S thi.
was rxrerted to destrOy the etrih has gore on onn
ionrrt that Il viii take $50 yrats 70 rnish Inc stimr
81 Df An bodies was the comet Of 1911. II Was lbuVn
miles through the heat, amt It's tan vas llapON"y
miles long amt II moved wilma vrc'u{ W 3iV pr,,i
srconi n n hai struck the sun " Wuult maze NettYtt
lie ON M thr Sular sts'rit IN hr lapsni on hin.
ter rni there is ncr to The universe Of uoi ana a'''
t, u t,rf, ittufN