The Virginia enterprise., 1897-03-19
COMETS COMING.
Three Of These Heavenly Wonders viii
be Seen This Year.

Three Of These Heavenly Wonders viii
be Seen This Year.
At least three comets are due in 1897.
Of which two will very probably be yisi-
bic. The third. when 1t was first dir
covered. was only family seen, and since
then II has not been visible. DIR. Spita-
ler, wL" is at present Il member of the
staff Of the Prague Imperial observatory.
discovered this third comet III 1890. He
was observing the sky at Vienna. on
November II of that year, and suddenly
saw what seemed to him faint comet.
He observed il NOR" closely. and was
soon satisfied that it WAS. He found
that it was moving in an elliptic orbit.
with = period Of six and half years.
and. therefore. he calculated that it
should return to Perlhellon OH March IL
of this year.
There is little likelihood however. that
any Of us will be able TO see it. and for
this reason: 1t WAS nearest TO the earth
last September, and there is no record
that any one saw it then. The only fact.
then. clearly established. is that there is
such comet, and that it may be ex-
be visible-eyery six and Il half years.
The famous astronomer u Arrest dis-
covered q comet at Leipzig. on June q.
1851. and this, too. will be due in perihe-
lion during the coming spring. DArrest
calculated that it would complete revo-
luton in six and Il half years, and it's
subsequent appearances proved that he
was correct
It has been observed in 1857. 1870.
1877 and 1880. when it passed its !;rrl-
helion on September IL. The eAl,'t time
at which it will appear during The Tres
ent year cannot be ascertained. but that
it will appear aud be visible is considered
certain.
The other comet is the one which was
discovered by Telnpel in 1853. Tenila.l,
however. only partially discovered it. for
he remained ignorant Of the fact thl1 II
would reappear periodically. lrd."1. its
periodicity was not detected until !Irf.
Swift rediscovpred it in Ostobrr. 1880, in
consequence of which it is usually kncwn
as SWifts comet.
| The period Of this comet is only about
| five and a half years. 1t appeared in
| 1873. but escaped observation. as il was
not locked for. and !: similar fate i-fel
| it ill 1854. for the reason that. though it
| was looked for. ii was 50 unfay"rtbly
| placed that a satisfactory obs.-v alton
was impossible.
The astronomers had better luck al its
| last appearance. which took lac. i'll
| 1891. In that year the perihel.Dn pas
sage took place in November. and ii littir
| calculation shows that the comets next
| appearance will bc IN April vr May of
| this year.
| LIZ coiHe+tlot " Hitii 'HeS" lH''> i" III
| teresting to note that the comet d!5"Ov
cred by NJ Perrine on December - 1886
has now been proved 10 have 4 short
periodically six and a half ycarS-,and
| it is therefore Il member Of the sn-' ,,lled
Jupiter family. Another notable t""t in
regard to it is that its elements closely
resemble those Of Biela lost comet in
| everything but the longitude Of The Il RI
| heiion.
| NOWADAYS the return nf a comet :, ems
Ominous to no one. except 10 the ultra
superstitiOus but in past ages '.uch an
occurrence was generally regarded As of
| extraordinary moment. some # the
most famous men that have ever lived
believed that comets have Il powerful i'll
fluence on mundane affairs, and traces
| of this primitive belief are still said t.
| linger in occult societies and in certain
country districts i'll Earope.-New York
| HcrnI.I