The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-04-16
BILL NYE ON THE COMET.
What q Comets Character
istic Features Are.
A Humorist Discoursss Learnedly Upon
an Astronomical Puzzle


an Astronomical Puzzle.
The comet is kind Of astronomical
parody on the planet. Comets look
some like planets but they are thinner
and do not hurt so bard when they hit
anybody as planet does. The comet
was so called because it had hair on 1t,
{ believe. but late years the bald
headed comet is giving just as good
satisfaction everywhere.
The characteristic features OF the
comet are: A nucleus, anebulous light
Or coma, and usually luminous train
or tail worn high. Sometimes several
tails are observed on one comet, but
this occurs only in flush times.
When was young used to think
would like to be comet in the sky,
up above the world so high, with
nothing to do but loaf around and play
with the little new laid planets and
have a good time. but now l can see
where was wrong. Comets also have
their troubles, their perihelions, their
hyperbolas and their parabolas. A
little over 800 years ago Tycho Brahe
discovered that comets were extrane-
2us to our atmosphere, and since then
times have improved. / can see that
trade is steadier and potatoes run less
to tops than they did before.
Soon after that they discovered that
comets all had more or less periodicity.
Nobody knows how they got it. All
.he astronomers had been watching
them day and night and didn't know
when they were exposed but there was
no time to talk and argue over the
question. There were two or three
hundred comets all down with it at
once. 1t was an exciting time.
Comets sometimes live to a great
age. This shows that the night air is
not SO injurious to the health as many
people would have us believe. The
great comet of 1880 is supposed to
aave been the one that was noticed
about the time of Caesars death, A B.
C., and still when it appeared in New
toms time, seventeen hundred years
after its first grand farewell tour. Ike
said that it was very well preserved in
deed and seemed to have retained all
its faculties in good shape.
Astronomers say that the tails Of all
comets are turned from the sun. 1 do
not know why they do this, whether
it is etiquette among them or just a
mere habit.
A late writer on astronomy said that
the substance of the nebulosity and the
tail is of almost inconceivable tenuity.
He said this and then death came to
mis- relief.
Another writer says of the comet and
is tail that "the curvature of the latter
and the acceleration of the periodic
.ime in the case of Enckes comet ir-
licate their being affected by resist
ng medium which has never been
observed to have the slightest influence
On the planetary periods"
l do not fully agree with the emf
aent authority, though he may be
light. Much fear has been the result
,f the comets appearance ever since
The world began, and it is as good a
hing to worry about as anything !
know of. If we could get close to a
comet without frightening it away, we
would find that we could walk through
t any where as we could through the
glare of torchlight procession. We
. should so live that we will not be
ashamed to look comet in the eye,
however. Let us pay up our newspa-
per subscription and lead such lives
hat when the comet strikes we will
be ready.
Some worry good deal about the
chances for big comet to plow into
the sun some dark rainy night, and
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thus bust up the whole universe.
wish that was all had to worry about
If any responsible man will agree te
pay my taxes and funeral exp nses,
will agree to do his worrying about
The comets crashing into the bosom Of
the sun and knocking its daylight.
Dut.-BiU Nye in Detroit Free Press.
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