The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1895-09-10
APPROACH OF NEW COEMT.
Coming at the Rate of $4,000
Miles a Day.

OAKLAND, (Cal.), August 26.-Pro-
lessor A. o. Leuschner, who is at the
head of the Berkeley Astronomical
Department OF the University of Cali.
fornia, has calculated the orbit of the
comet discovered Thursday by Profess
sor Swift from his observatory at Echo
mountain, in Southern California.
Professor Leuschner's detailed de-
scription CT the course the comet will
take, the velocity at which it is trav-
cling, when it will disappear and
reappear, and all about the family of
comets of which it is brilliant
offshoot, was telegraphed this morn
ing to the astronomers at Mount
Hamilton and thence to observatories
| all over the world.
From an astronomical standpoint
the comet is comparatively near the
earth; that is to say, it is 1000 ZOO
miles away, and the serious part of
the affair is that it is coming toward
this planet at the rate OF $4,000 miles
day. At that rate it would arrive in
the year 1900, just in time to be ex-
hibited at the Paris Exposition. Pro-
fessor Leuschner is recognized
authority on astronomical computa-
lions, and his figures will be accepted.
He used as the basis of his calcula-
tions three observations made by Pro-
fessor Barnard and telegraphed from
Mount Hamilton to Berkeley.
Professor Leuschner says that the
small inclination OF the orbit of the
comet to the ecliptic points strongly to
the probability that it is a periodic
one, like that discovered by Professor
Swift last year. On August 18th the
comet was between 127,000,OO0 and
| 12S,000,000 miles from the sun, from
which it has since been receding at
the rate of about 10000 miles daily.
The Berkeley astronomer has an
idea about this comet which he is not
| ready to proclaim as a fact. In 1878
| La Hire discovered a comet, but be-
fore be could figure out its course and
destination it disappeared, leaving the
astonished astronomer gazing at
| space. So far as the computations go,
the comet discovered last week resem.
bles the one that escaped from La
| Hire seventeen years ago.
The details about this new comet
will give astronomers great deal of
pleasure. There has been a scarcity
of these bodies during the past year.
Until this one was discovered, none
had appeared since last November.
Precautions have been taken to guard
against the escape of Professor Swift's
comet. Professor Leuscbner's figures
telegraphed and cabled from Mount
Hamilton will enable every observa-
tory in the world to keep its telescopes
trained on the travelling body. 1t is
on the meridian about two hours after
midnight, which shows that the earth
is nearer than the sun to the comet.
At least Professor Leuscher saws that
that is what it proves.
The astronomers calculations con-
densed are as follows:
Inclination degrees, % minutes
and 45 seconds.
Longitude of ascending node-I72
degrees, 80 minutes and 40 seconds.
Longitude of perihelion-336 de-
grees, "a minutes and Is seconds.
Perihelion distance-138,9 O5 astro-
nomical units.
The newly-discovered comet is an
able bodied one, having a nucleus. a
coma and a tail. Most comets are
short of one of the parts that 90 to
make up a full-grown comet. Mr..
Wight, fellow in mathematics. assist
ed Professor Leuschner in discovering
the elements of the comet.