The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-04-06

and Mars for the past few months
must have noticed how rapidly
the distance between the two has
been decreasing. Jupiter is still du
ring April brilliant object; but the
brightness of Mars has greatly de-
creased since last autumn, when he
was in opposition.
The brightest object OF which the
April evenings can BOASTS the planet
Venus in the southwest. No direc-
tions as to where to find her are neces.
sary,-her brilliance is an unfailing
guide. She looks almost bright
enough to excuse the persons on the
Brooklyn bridge for taking her for an
electric balloon sent up by Mr.. Edi-
son. Venus can be seen as soon as
the sun has set; and it is possible
that sharp eyed observer who knew
just where to look could see the
planet while the sun was yet above
the horizon. She attracts the atten-
ton of the most careless; and because
of her brightness, there is no excuse
for any one, who has the use of his
eyes and view of the southwest be-
tween six and eight o'clock in the
evening, for not knowing and admir-
ing the queenly planet. Venus is in
conjunction with the crescent moon
on the evening of April 9th.
The problem which has aroused
the most interest among the astrono-
mers of late has been question of
the identity of two comets. On the
I'D of August, 1874, the italian
astronomer, De Vico, discovered
comet. It was observed until the
end of the year and during this time
became visible to the naked eye.
When its orbit was calculated, it was
found to move around the sun in an
ellipse with period of about five and
one-half years. The comet at the re-
turn of 1850 was too near the sun to
be observed, but in 1855 all the cir
cumstances were favorable and it
should have been rediscoverd; but
neither then nor since has it been
seen, and it has been known as the
lost comet of De Vico.
On the night of November Goth last,
however, Edward Swift, son of the
well-known astronomer, Lewis Swift,
at the observatory on the top of Echo
Mountain, California, discovered
very faint comet. It attracted little
attention until the computers of its
orbit found suspicious resemblance
to the long lost comet of De Vico. As
soon as this fact was published, all
the big observatories set to work to
get as many measures of the exact
position of the little stranger as pos
sible, in order that the question of
identity might be settled. The comet
was so faint that only the biggest
telescopes could show it, and the
weather, especially at the Lick OBJ
servatory, was SO bad, that it was
seen but few times. The observa-
tions that were obtained, however,
are sufficient, in the opinions of two
eminent astronomers, DR.. Schulhof,
of Paris, and DR.. Chandler of Cam
bridge, Mass, to almost prove that
the Swift comet of 1894 AMI the De
Vico comet OF 1874 are one and the
same body. 1t is no easy matter to
follow the wanderings of this wisp of
light for fifty years, and the results
are by no means certain; but if it
shall be definitely settled that the two
comets are identical, there are yet a
number of other interesting questions
about the subject.
The comet of 1874 was thought to
be identical with that of 1878, which
was much more brilliant object than
De Vico's comet. This would seem
to show that this comet has been
steadily decreasing in brightness, as
the Swift comet has tested the resoly-
ing powers of our best telescopes.
Unfortunately the computations show
that we have now probably seen the
last of this object, as in 1897 the
comet will approach SO near the
planet Jupiter as to have its orbit
completely changed, making its peri
helion distance so far away that it is
doubtful whether it could be seen
from the earth. There is certainly
something fascinating about the con-
fidence with which mathematics takes
up the question of the travels of
bundle of gas for fifty years, and at
tempts to prove or disprove its iden-
tity with another bundle of gas to
which, as far as outward appearances
go, it bears no more resemblance
than the hundreds of other comets
,.,ksob bovr Aoox, 1. al