The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-12
COMET AND METEURS DUE.
-,r DISPLAY IN the BE1TEN5 SET
Tor TO-MORROW.

op.0cs,in. on the law. OF gravitv. II will be read
civ p,r,s.,ed that a comets approach to the earth
,,,lt cause the most woful events; bring back tho
=, .y.r.A doluge, or make the earth perish in do
TO-, ~ hrel shatter 1t into small dusti or at
,..t turn 1t from Its orbit: drive away
,,. moon, or still worse. drive the earth
,,..f outside tile orbit Of Saturn and indict upon
, winter several centuri,s long. which neither
IN nor an mails would be able to beari The tails
"A OF comets would DO no unimporant pho.
,,ucna II in taking their departure they were to
l.,,e them. either whole or In part. in our stmos
pb,rc "-Lambsrti "L,ur,s COimoioDiquss."
with such cheering prophecies as this one
quoted by L. V. Howard In his article on The
Neraoing Comet" In the November number OF
the tbrtriohilv RerisU were our ancestors
wont to be reused to vita interest In astronomy
nv the scientists OF their own times. Only
within a short period has the prospective
arrival OF q comet in the oarth's vicinity ceased
IN he A n, after Of public CONSERVATION. and even
n,y there arc peOple who regard these visitors
as portents OF war AMI other catastrophes
But though the eminent astronomer. Prof
FAN hns figured out that this tsrrestra globe
4, due to meet Temples comet to- morrow at
,s,. O, .pesd com pared to which the best rail-
road records are merely q snaiPs saunter. there
A, no indication that business has been dscon-
tinued on his account in any civilized part OF
the word ani tHs buslucrs Ol uTdWlNg w Iu't
,ul, and ts.,amcnts has not appreciably in
creased In fact, those who have paid tho mat
,er any attention seem reasonably assured that
hn.lnes, " Il be going on at the Old stand Just
s.usual on TUESDAY. Prof. Falb himself thinks
,b,, this will hc the case unless tho comet
,h, mid prove to ba made up o. mo- ious consitu-
spts ind should turn on the gas to such purpose
that the whole human race won Il be wipod out
Mr. Howard indicates that PROT Falb's pre-
dtctions are not based on the best attanabIe
mathematical data. ard THINKS 1t very likely
tnat when the e met reaches the saTth's path
this G ohs wi! lie spinning along on its usual
route a ev safe mi lions Of miles away. llav-
irg thus treasured the iimid. Mr.. Howard con-
sl.rs at some length the curious career ~
be,'s famous comet. which las been q cause
Of terror to scientists aud common people
axe. and which furnished a magnificent
show Of meteor. IN more than one occasion.
us'ha present comet is expected to DO
Rpas comet took its name from Major Biela
g n. Austrian Army. who traced II out in
lsgH and furnished such data regarding ts
movements ~ ~ convince the other astrono-
rer. Of his day that 30 hal PROPRIETARY right
in Il The same comet had hecn noticed on
March =. l77". anil again IN lSU5 II was
recsanei that the comet had passed its peri
heiou six times between the two periods with
ont being caught al it ~ the astronomers,
Baron pamoseau. calculating the return o.
tie celestial rhenomenou in lS32. figured out
that It would collide with the earth
n November ans ln.autously gave
Publicity 20 his figures. There was
grsa, rut'lc alarm. modified but llttlc ~ the
ss.sr' IN from other astronomers that the
Baron's igures were wrong and that there was
- danger o, an encounter Of the worlds.
some German journalists hal already taken
the matter ny as subject for lurid scussion
and rrophecy ant s. general was he per'urha-
ton on the Continent that an eminent scientist
a. France brought the subject te'or" tho
Academy Of Sciences IN Paris and suggested
'hA' the Academy take steps - al'ay he i'm
IonIlnG ran,r u rr'uiiag althoriia'ively the
n,er; n %: Baron DLmo seag In his address
II gentleman said
= rr'rr jyr.n.s ire prpIuc'iy. ~ serious.
t'ns'i"en's. Several members Of the Acad.
'ny r1y SIN remember the accidents and
t'pr'eyS which followed similar announce
bsn' lmrrudcnty communicated to the
Acalemy hy " I.nlnnd" in May. l7I3 Persous
D'veak mind died Of fright and women ml,-
carried. There were rot wanting reorls who
knew 100 well the at Of turnii z to their own
rrot' the dead Inspired by the approaching
comet. md puces in Paradise were sod al a
very high rate. The announcement - tho
Nf0et 'l lNhs may Produce sinllhr cVects,
IN e" tie au,hcr i'y OF the Academy Apply ,
t-oHTt remedy and this saiutary Intervention
iSa'ths momentimp.osei by many benevolent
TsrsCus
The Academy deputsd the famous Ar,go to
draw NJ statement that should r..e,tatllsh
Ms pnhl,c confidence ~ 20 III" con tnu"i ex-
On the subject proved that the drsade wan
d"r"r wouldn't get within +jOO,Ouu mites Of
W. "ttth when the orbits int"rseclcd In COM
cl-iNn hs said
There are some parsons who, while freely al.
any direct collision. bel ey" that the C0nst
'0n,t not Meet our orbit without i"rtnginG il {;
u'hrr; oryl w-r. mHtera, object, a. 4 the
'"'m OF the rhrahOic rath. which a shell de-
s.rbes IN -par" on quitting The mortar. could
defend mon H.. number AMI POSITION, 81, the
e curves Which othe sh-lls may. formerly have
IN thst visit which turned ont to he quite
Sw,tSrn,tn, ne comet was observed by various
an passed out 81 SLght on Jan. 2. 1913 rs
o'Tt appearance IN ms region ~ the unverse
onsrrvatlons owing to il. n"arneS, when at
p'rlh..9n. 10 the sun. in who's, hrillIance It's
,a.lp November. i-45. and on the ioiloWins
month an Observation WI. made OF one Of the
most T.mersahl. rh"nomsna in astronomical
records, th- division ot the comet At nrst IL
,o..s, share I,LGt iorth 20 tail, Win. ri.
the Nor,,hu,mIsr and TELESCOPE at Cambridge
o Syc .aM Il; iSt vs. incline 70 ai.trus, h.
,'''l nv gInt- Wntn ne Ienrll TWO comets
where but one hal been before He would
GAL u. he sad, binary comet 10 such thing
nad ever been heard o. before. His observa-
uons were soon verified, however. by the
testimony ~ other astronomers In other local
YES and soon alter, both parts Of the divided
nrv-d along aid. by side Tho observers were
mnch amazed at Ending that the relative
brlhancy OF the pair was extremely variable
nst me larger port on being the brighter. then
we smaller outshluiug its partner. The iarger
noiV was computed to b. about three
ZINES the volum" Of the smaller. On March
" when the two had been about equal 10
taalance Tor some time, the smaller suddenly
3rshh 70 blEr NJ, as IL were, and for eight
was by TAR the more liant On March
~ very bright Ithr-like nucleus was seen In
we anger. Then each threw out to n tace OF
neW rhrh fastened on the other and for four
W,.hthS they trays led on together. the centres
:. htEonnmical interest 10 this whole world at
east Al the tne they were giving evidence
., severe Internal disturbances On March s
Mty were iouni to he about 1900 miles
snhrt and presently tho smaller faded entirely
away. Lat" n August, 1852. the larger came
mo view. ana three weeks later the smaller
One now much fainter than its former com
Ihhion wa seen about million miles in tho
ran Tho secret of this phsnom email perform
Ni.e VIII probably never be so we'd.
was expected that in NOvem ber 1872, the
E",, would meet the comet or its fragments.