Passaic City record., 1892-12-10

from it is hard to say. Its origin is not
known. But it is known that it is an
object which comes into the solar system
from space under attraction of the sun,
which moves around the sun and then
goes off into space, perhaps never to
return. The question whether or not it
will return depends upon the orbit in
which it moves. If the orbit is an
elipse it will surely come back; if it Is q
parabola or hyperbola it will not return.
How is it now that comets differ 80 in
their orbits2 Why should some return
and some not return2
When q comet comes into our system
it is likely to pass near one of the larger
planets. There is, then, another at
tracing force. If the motion of the comet
is accelerated thereby the comets orbit
becomes surely hyperbolic, and it goes off
never to return. But if the comets mo-
ton is retarded, its orbit is eliptical and
it will surely return. Each time COM
ct meets planet under such conditions
its orbit becomes smaller and the time of
its return shorter. Comets. then, which
would not ordinarily stay in the system
are kept here by the attractive power Of
one of the planets. This is called the
sscapture" theory.
Each of the larger planets, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, have q
ssfamily" of comets which they have at
tracted aud whose orbits lie near their
own. All the short period comets, those
having periods of from three to eight
years, belong to Jupiter's family. There
are sixteen Of them including Biela's.
The earth and the other lesser planets
have no captured comets to their credit,
but their attraction has changed the
orbits of several. The periodic comets,
then, are moving about the sun like the
planets, except that their orbits are
ellIptical instead of circular or nearly
so.
In bulk comet is the largest of ce-
lestial objects, but its density is not
great. This is shown by the fact that
no comet has been known to alter the
movement of any of the planets, even in
the slightest degree, although It's own
course has been greatly changed by them.
The comet exercises certain attractive
force, but its mass is SO small that the
effect upon the earth and other planets
is not felt. Some one has said that a
comet properly packed could be carried
in y hat box. This, of course, is an
exaggeretlon, but the idea holds.
The particles of comet are supposed
to be extremely small, some say not
bigger than q pinhead on an average and
the largest masses only few feet in
diameter. These particles are only loose
ly joined together and scattered over an
immense territory. It is not hard to
understand then that the fate of comet
is eventually to go to pieces, to spread
its particles out SO much that, no longer
attracted by one another they do not act
in unison, but each for itself pursues its
way about the sun. The longer comet
has been in the system the more are its
particles spread out. The comet event
ually ceases to be comet and becomes
simply swarm of meteors. A large
proportion of comet and meteor swarms
more in or near the plane of the planets,
and hence it follows that the earth
crosses or passes near the paths of these
swarms every year in its journey around
the sun, and there are at such times
showers of shooting stars.
Only one comet has thus far been seen
to break up-that discovered in 1926 by
Biela, an Austrian officer. It had a
period of &c years and its orbit ap-
preached close to that of the earth. In
deed, at its return in 1882 panic known
as the sscomet scare" was started in
southern France by the announcement
that it was going to come in collision
with the earth. The earth passed the
critical point about month too soon for
q collision. however. In 1889 the comet
was not seen on account of its unfavor-
able position in the sky. In 1646 it ap-
peared as usual, but soon afterward split
in two parts, which travelled side by
side. In 1852 both comets were seen
travelling along together but million
and half miles apart. Since then
neither has been seen, although both
ought to have returned six times. On
the night of November ~, 1872, how
ever, VIXEN the earth was crossing the
track of the lost comet there was Won
derful meteoric shower. The same thing
happened in 1886 when the earth once
more crossed the comets path, and there
was no longer much doubt that the
comet,c origin OF meteoric showers had
been demonstrated. The meteors from
this swarm are called Andromendas from
the constellation in the sky from which
they seem to radiats. There is con-
adorable display from them every year
about November ~.
The Leonids which radiate from the
constellation here and fall about the 18th
OF November are also supposed to be
Stom disintegrated comet. This swarm
furnished the finest meteoric shower ever
witnessed in 1888. They seemed to be
4 huge umbrella. Fully $50, 900 are
estimated to have fallen within six hours.
A curious fact is that, vita one excep-
tion, no mass has been known to reach