Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1896-12-10

holds a part, is most lnte'e''ine
etudv and those star-tramps. the COM
cts, are perhaps its most EXTRAORDINARY
feature.
All the planets and satellites and as
teroids move in solemn and stately
grandeur around the sun from the west
to east, keeping always within le"
degrees of the plane Of the Elliptic
while comets rush wildly from east ~
west, or west to east from the nor.n
eastto southwest and from southwest
to northeast, some OF them actuaiy
moving in a course perpendicular 10
the plane of the Elliptic.
All the other members OF our SOAR
retinue move in we'll denned orDi's'
nicely balanced, that they may neither
fall into nor be driven away from the
sun, while comets make a wild, mead
long rush for the sun, apparently laii-
ing through billions Of miles to reach
that luminary.
They plunge in a vortex heated
thousand times hotter than meitea
iron, and when at last their terrlnc
speed and consequently centrifugal
force sweep them around the sun, IN
stead of into the sun, they rush out
| again into their dreary circuit. 1t may
be for five years and it may be for 500
years. in the cold ether, so many bill
lions of miles away that the suns light
and the suns heat are as the light and
heat of a minute star twinkling in the
milky way.
| Sir Isaac New on a one time serious
ly considered as probable that frag-
ments Of comets made the fuel by
which the suns fires are fed. While
this hypothesis is not considered ten
able now, yet there lies no reason to
dispute the occasional loss OF comet
by falling into the suns fires.
This view is especially borne out by
the fact that several comets whose or
bits were known and who should have
been Of regular and frequent occur
ence, have failed to keep their engage
ments.
And 1t Is not to be expected that
any substance of any kind can continue
to experience the extreme vicissitudes
Of heat and cold and not be gradually
and surely wasted away.
The intensity Of the heat near the
surface Of the sun exceeds the possibil-
ity of our Imagination, and the cold
ness Of the stellar depths equally
eludes all conception.
1t is. therefore, only reasonable to ex-
pect that gradually all known comets
will, in the coming ages, be wasted
away, while wandering here and there
In the wide realms Of space other COM
cts will take their places.
The comet in question (the special
one now approaching us) is most prob
: ably a new one. Its two companions
and itself are reminders of the three
most remarkable comets of recent
? years. These were the comets Of 1911
1843, and 1858.
The comet of 1871 was the finest that
up to the time Of its appearance, had
adorned the heavens since the days
, of Newton.
1t was noted for it's intense bril-.
liancy, and was visible to the naked
eye. 1t was comet Of the first class
in point Of magnitude and luminosity
Its brilliant tail at its greatest el> aga.
ton, has an extent of 1913 millior
miles, and a breadth Of Is million
l miles.
At its nearest approach to us The
> comet was yet distant 141 million
miles, so that had even its tail pointed
In the direction Of the earth, the ex
< tremity Of the tail would have been /
' million miles away from the earth
r surface.
Its appearance was dazzlingly bril-
4 liant in the evening sky, and for thre,
Y months the celestial novelty war a,
object of the greatest admiration.
But the comet OF 1913 is rega ride,
- as the most marvellous OF the presen
. age. So luminous was this comet tina
it was observed in the daytime, eve
before it was visible at night. !
y startled the world by appearing in tn
4 spring, in the western heavens. like
l. streak Of aurora streaming from tn
o region Of the sun below the constells
q ton of Orion. 1t was a comet of tn
4 biggest class.
The nearest approach Of its head I
l. the earth was about 10000, 900 mile,
IT The absolute diameter of the nebu osit
It surrounding the head was about Sc ,OC
l. miles. The length Of it's tail was pre
s. digious. On the 9th of February
l. was 10S million miles in length. Til
q stars were plainly visible through i,
n tail.
l. 1t is certain that the comet almo
grazed the sun; perhaps some PORTO
=. Of its nebulosity may have come in,
!. direct collision with it. The heat it r,
,v ceived, according to the computatic
~ OF Sir John Herschel. must have bee
o. $4,000 times that received by Il
earth from a vertical sun. Such ten
perature would have converted into VI
por almost every substance on Il
earth's surface. and If anything had r.