Telegram-herald., 1890-01-11
4 WAN0eaeR IDENTIFIED.
Nr. Ch-odIeF Recognizes the supposed
- ---.---. -. IL -s 4 Ill

Nr. Ch-adIeF Recognizes the Supposed
Sew Comet - That Of LeEen-
News has tesn received Al The Lack ohser-
v4Iory u a rlfu4.r Eable aLd extremely un-
pQrrAA- tLeoretlcal discovery lu colRotsry A.
LI0uouy made 10y s e. Chandler, u Gam
bridge al eminent mathemaucl2n snd as-
sroaomer Upon nvestlgatiug some pecu-
larltles in tie orbit II the comet discovered
.ast July by Mr. Brooks, and which Is stil
under observation. Mr Chandler found that
Il Tad made a remarkably close approach 20
-ne planet Jupiter iu $50 aud that It's path
had thea been entirely changed, the comet
being thrown into It's present snail eillpse
within period al seven years.
Stimulated by this - find cut what the
path ~ the comet was previous 10 locb nc
VAS lei T. the discovery that u was Identical
with tie famous Lexell's lost comet" Of lTs0.
The comet Oh 1910 was found by LeKeli - 10
revolving IN an orbit Whose perlhelion was
near N-lus and the aphellon near Jupiter,
with q periodic time ~ tve ana half years.
The sLortness q this period WIS sinCular, as
the comet bad never uecn seen previous 70
Isl0, though ia that year 10 was visible % the
naked ese.
a further invest cation, however showed
Lex-l that il 1851 the comet had made
sluEliariy close approach 70 Jupiter, al
which ume the great attraction Of that
planet caused a complete change N the
comets orbit, i. being thrown into the small
ellpse Of l11J. Previous 20 this approach 10
Jupiter IL 1907. the comet was moving in
large orbit, with the periheAon near Jupiter
and ts aphelion beyond the orbit of Saturn.
Ia this orbit the comet was always too dis
tau- - h.a seen from the earth
In lT19 tho comet again passed still closer
70 Jupiter. and tie attraction Of the planet,
Outwelghiug that Of the sun by over 100 times,
kept the comet under It's influence for num-
Der Of months, and again completely trans
formed the orbit, the periheiOn once more
becoming 50 great that the comet could not
be spen from the earth
At IFS appearance in 1770 this comet ap-
preached within les than 10000 miles Of
the earth-a remarkably close approach; 50
much So indeed, that la Place calculated that
If the comets maSs had been equal 70 that Of
the earth it would have seriously Affected the
motion II the earth, and would have length
euod our year by about three hours. As no
sensible disturbance was experienced, La
Place concluded that the mass Of the comet
must have been less than l-3,O00th part Of
the mass of the earth. 1t was doubtless vast
ly smaller than that.
The comet at its present return has at
tracted a widespread interest through the
discovery at the Lick observatory Of the
small companion comets that attend II in its
motion through space Mr.. Chandler sug-
gests that these may owe their existence 10
the encounter with Jupiter in 1856, the un-
equal strain from the opposing attractions of
the planet and its satellite system having
probably caused a disruption of the cometary
matter sufficient % produce the companions
Carrying the investigation hack 10 1885,
Nr Chandler found that the comet remained
under tie influence Of the planet for more
than eight months, and that previous TO then
il was revolving about the sun in twenty
seven years time in an orbit whose perihehon
lay near Jupiter. He also Geducci the path
that the comet moved IN about the planet at
the appulse, and found il 70 be a byperbola
with an eccentricity slightly greater than
unity, So that the comet narrowly escaped
being drawn into q closed orbit as a satellite
Of Jupiter" The nearest approach 20 the
planet in this path was Nay 20, lSs6, the dis
tanoe being about 900 90 miles.
At present we cannot tel what have been
the changes and vicissitudcs Of this comet
eiiAtt ff't tAA 'ANA tiA- AiNtAA t-iN o'ett-o VI
Jupiter. IL Is now, however, free from the
influence Z that planet until 1921, when II
VIII again suffer great perturbation that may
once more vhisk It out Of sight for 100 years
OF more Il vii in the meantime return
under favorable circumstances Of observation
In l,36 lp2. 1910 and 1917.
J. IS hardly possible 20 estimate tho inIPor-
tauce ~ tho discovery Of Mr. Chandler, as it
presents tous one of the greatest physical and
mathematical problems that astronomers
have had 70 deal with. Mount Hamilton
Cal Cor. Chicago Tribune.