Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-11-21
81 TELEGRAPH.
LOOK OUT foa THAT cesET.
Il, riesy Tail Nay 6iss ths Esarsh Pretty
clese Shave.

Nrw Yanx. Nov a0.-The great comet
which il rushing sev ards the earth mas nor
e.sf,. into the tiel4 of vision 50 that II may
h. seen with the naked eve. From THIS
an /. will grow Larger and larger unfii inns
week. when. If The predictions OF the as
tranou,ers he correct il will be the most
eonspieaons object in tie heavens Inc
e.,r,et's position at present IL IN the coistei-
Iation Audroue.ia That - the way the
seies;i,ts Indicate its Is hereaboafs 10 eseh
other. aa,i A brsef examination OF IN
almanac will enable any amateur astrono-
user to readily find it,
In the early part of the evening II Is az
most directly overhead. near the zea"h,
xhere il can easily be detected with the aia
of 4 good tseti-gIass aud its position once
kraw n IL tz.a easily be fouE8d wifh Tie haked
eve. Within two or three days the most
Casual observer cannot fail 10 notice int
fiery u1anster. 1t has travelled millions OF
miles since il was discovered ON the evening
Of NOV. &. Since that time all the leaning
astronomers, both lsere and in Europe nave
Turned their telescopes upon II.
TIA, observations of the couet III the
/ nited States have been numerous, ant IN
thi. eltv Prof Harold .Iaceby and others al
the Columbia CJiiese Observatory nave ae
voted mech study TO its n1seilents. sonie
excellent work has also been done at TIE
Harvard Observatory. Cambridge, Mass.
There the professors have made nightly
Studies Of the comet and have nia'!c several
successful attempts To photograph 1t. II Is
not vet Quite sure that il is the famous
BIeia comet nor have they been able To cal
cuIate lust how close a shave 1t will give
the earth.
Blt whether the present comet IS bieia
mr. an entirely new Que, no doubt is enter
tanned of il. immense size and that 1t VIII
come very close to the earth. The exact
ne,jo.i of time ani the distance which will
separate them is unknown, and it IS even
nos-iile that, as Prof. klinkerfues pre-
.Iicted in ls12, the two bodies may come IN
contact.
such "a contingency has often been con-
.i.lered in the astronomical woril. Some
scientists believe that BicIa's comet dill not
exlloie OF its own yo,iti0n III 1915. but as
,crt that in its wild flight through space 1t
must have struck star and richocheted of
tow ards the earth. and that the force of the
collision broke it all up. Gregory, Laplace
and Winston have shown what would be the
effects of such contact in the case of the
partD, anu tilt acstEtitu ute ottb httAS Nhet
il was the conjunction of the earth with a
comet which caused the ,leluge.
If the tail of a comet, says Gregory
reached our atmosphere, or if any part of
the matter which composes that tail spread
over the heavens and fell upou it by its
own weight, the resulting efiluvia would
work material changes for man and plants
for it is is indisputable that yapors brought
from regions so distant and strange, and ex-
cited by so mighty heat would be deadly
to everything on earth and would occasion
the ,iircst calamitIcs.
These, however, are merel, spceulations
upon a remote contingency. While 1t
would be possible for the earth and the
cor,et, or its tail, to come into collision, 1t
is regarded as extremely improbable that
any such thing will happen. Experience has
shown that Biela's comet would get the
worst of it if it came too close, aud that the
chances for Il meeting between the two are
very slender. AT the same time, as the two
have to pass the same given spot ON the
night of the 18th, the race may produce
some interesting results.
In finding the comet with the naked eye
its distinguishing reddish color should be re-
membered. Last night, after a remarkable
sunset and winllstorm, the sky cleared and
the conditions were favorable to observatory
work in this and neighboring states.