The morning call., 1892-11-21
AN AERIAL VISITOR.

covered a heavenly body right above the
earth, which rather Iesembled comet.
Two weeks ago it was in fact identified as
one OF those agglomerati0ns OF transparent
gas which one knows as comets. Ii APP
peared to have diameter OF from five TO SIX
minutes, and it was evident that il was dis
tant very far distant indeed. Now the
the same body has q diameter OF twelve or
thirteen minutes, showing apparently that
it has diminished its distance from the
earth by one half. Ii is still straight over
head Astronomers reckon that 1T is six
times as far from the sun as the earth is,
that it has twice the diameter of the sun
and fifteen times its volume. 1t APP
pears TO have no nucleus, but is loose
mass of nebulous matter without shape,
through which stars are distinctly seen.
What is most remarkable about it is that it
does not seem TO move; from which as
tronomers infer that it is moving straight in
the direction of the earth. and they est-
mate, on grounds not apparent TO the lay
man, that at its present rate of speed it will
continue 10 approach the earth for the best
part Of year. 1t has no spectrum which
can be detected by instruments.
There have been times when the appear
ance Of such an object, with such an APP
parent direction, would have given rise to
general alarm. A comet once appeared in
the sky above Constantinople, and seemed
10 be making for the city with such malig-
nant purpose and fell determination that q
panic broke out, and the deyout prepared
for the end of the world with prayer and
lamentatioD. every one who had property
diveSting himself of ii in favor of the
church. Minds are more robust in our day,
and il has not been observed that the real
estate market has exhibited signs of weak
ness since the new comet appeared. No
statements have appeared in the papers de-
scrbing the comet as sign of divine dis
pleasure at the corruption Of the day; five
or six hundred years ego il would have
been generally regarded as warning to
mankind TO mend their ways. We are less
imaginative than our forefathers. and less
inclined 30 credit phenomena to supe T.
natural agency; " know more of science
Than they did, aud are not concentrating
cur minds on the end OF the world.
There is no absolute impOssibility in a
collision between heavenly bodies. Indeed,
it was at one time seriously contended that
the asteroids between Mars and Jupiter
were fragments of planet which had been
shattered by collision with an errant comet
That opinion has not stood the test Of
study; and when the vast aerial spaces
are considered ii is seen that the chances OF
collision between celestial spheres are
infinitely remote, though if one of them ap-
preached another so closely as TO feel the
attraction Of grayitation it is hard TO say
what would result. Comets have been
known to disappear behind the sun at their
peribelioD, and never to be seen again:
whence it has been inferred that they were
absorbed into the larger and more solid
body.
Indeed, il is far from certain shat col
lisions do dot occur between the earth and
nebulous bodies belonging to the cometary
class without any one being the wiser. Tie
annual November meteor shower is familiar
TO every one. 1t has been suggested that
the meteors form the solid portion OF a
comet whose nebulous substance is so thin
as 10 be invisible, and that the earth passes
through it in November or in August OF
each year without other effect than to fuse
the solid portions of its structure. Without
committing themselves TO this theory, as
tronomers who are qualified TO judge admit
the possibility Of such phenomenon.
The more closely a conscientious student
observes the structure Of the universe the
N ore distrust he feels Of the knowledge he
has acquired. Such nearby planets as
Mars are almost as complete strangers to us
as they were to Kepler. SrhiaparellPs
canals are, after all, only pleasant eoncer
to amuse theoTizeIs. OF our own moon we
know next to Botbing-neither whether 1t
has an atmosphere nor whether It is iuhab-
tied, nor what the other side Of it is like,
nor bow it was called into being. College
professors know all these things, and chat
ter about them with positiYeness begoIten
by limited information; real students know
that we know nothing. And il we know
nothing Of our nearest neighbors in this
little solar system of ours, bow can We be
expected to understand the mysteries of the
great universe which is without limit OF
space or Of timer What mind is large and
broad and deep enough to grasp the thoughts
OF these great cometary bodies which come
from Unreasonable distances in the dark
invisible spaces, sweep through the heav-
enly horizon of our vision. and then return
| with velocity incalculable into the black
! depths from which they emerged?