The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-11-29
WE ARE STILL 4LIYE.
The Comet Passed Us Presumably on Sche-
duie Time and Hurt Nobody.


There was billed for Sundey night in
Richmond grand rneteoric display and
| collision between a stray tramp comet
and this mundane sphere.
But in the words OF Aristotle, 1T never
| touched us"
| This old earth Is moving around in it's
usual way this morning, While the comet
is beating a retreat from this sphere as
fast as its legs can carry 1t.
It's all very We'll for oGld-headed scien-
lists to sit up in the top floor of unver-
stiles and say that bodies celestial are
coming directly toward US "heaa on
We like TO read of II. and we swallow
what they say through the newspapers
with many pangs or curious delight
chasing each other up and down our
spines.
But we then draw the line; in other
words, we very politely say that the men
of wisdom are talking through their hats.
At least that's what the people OF Rich
mond said in so many werds Sunday
night, and before II o'clock everyone had
forgotten comets. meteoric showers and
all sorts of heavenly fireworks.
The exact time for the collision was
9:45 O'Clock, and not few astronomers
believed from their calculations, that the
comet would pass within a short distance
of the earth. Others were equally earnest
I'm declaring that there was not one chance
in ten thOusandsthat the earth and the
comet would meet.
DR.. c. l.. Poor a follow at the Jehns
Hopkins University, and an authority on
Astronomical matters, said in the Balti-
more American yesterday:
All these errors were caused by a lack
of knowledge concerning the comet. AS
its orbit was not defined, it was almo0t
an impossibility to compute in what di..
rection 1t was travelling or at what speed
when the comet was first seen IL 20
peared to be about one-twentieth the size
of our moon. Some days later IL had
grown to about One-quarter the size of
fair Luna.
This made many believe than the stran-
ger was approaching us But while this
was going on the comet seemed TO lose it's
sharp outline and take on the form of
haze or light cloud This was an eyi.
dence that il was moving away from us.
An object that bears n reflected light al
ways appears more brilliant at a distance
than at near point Of observation.
rms comet is a stranger and has never
been seen before. To compute it's orbit.
several observations must be made at in
tervais OF about a week. and then IL may
take months of calculation to define such
an orbit. At no time has the comet been
nearer W US tidn just I'VE times the dis
tance between here and the sun. or In
round numbers, about 1000 900 miles.
All comets have a defined orbit, and
will continue in such until DESTROYED.
When the orbit of the present comet has
been defined although 1t has. never been
seen before. we can tell you where IL was
a hundred years ago, and where Ii will be
century hence. The comet was last OBJ
served in this city on last Monday at
the Johns Hopkins Though ten-inch
telescope. 1t appeared is a thin fog, and
many faint stars could be seen shining
through it's mass
In conclusion, DIR. Poor says Should
such a comet strike the earth the ex-
perience would be one OF interesting
pleasure rather than Of alarm. The mass
of a comet is far less dense than the air
we breathe. and we would pass through
1t without any danger. If we struck any
solids they would be burned by friction,
and all we would see would be meteor"
The rain. lntermixed with hall which
fell on Sunday night. kept the meteoris
display out Of sight in this latitude.
There were not few nervous citizens
among the colored people. but none Of
them were made sick. and at 10 o'clock
they began drawing signs Of relief. The
attendance at the colored churches was
large at night