The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-12
COMET AND METEURS DUE.
err DJsPLzY IN the UE1rENS SET
IOR TO-UORROW.

"pefcstns ON the laws OF gravity. II will be read.
Civ p.r,sycd that a comets approach to the earth
ri,bt cause the most woful events bring back tho
nm versa doluge. or make the earth perish in do.
I,,,, ~ hrel shstter 1t into small dustl or at
East turn 1t from Its orbit: drive away
g, NOON or still worse. drive the earth
u..lf outside tile orbit OF Saturn. and indict upon
- winter several centuri,s long. which neither
non nor an mails would be able to besri Tho tails
II Of comet, would DO no unimporan. pho.
powcni, II in taking their departure they were to
lave them. either whole or In part. in our atmos
pb.rc - Lambertt 'Leur,s CaimoioDiquss
with such cheering prophecies as this one
ouot.d by T.. V. Howard In his article on The
Neraoing Comet" in the November number OF
Tho fbriniohilv Rerieb were our ancestors
wont to be reused to vital interest In astronomy
nv the scientists OF their own times. Only
within a short period has the prospective
arrival OF comet in the oarth's vicinity ceased
10 be a matter Of pu bile consternation and even
now there arc people who regard these visitors
n, por,en,s OF war AMI other catas;rophes
But though the eminent astronomer. Prof
FAN. hn. figured out that this terrestrial globe
4, duo TO meet Temples comet to- morrow at a
"a, OF spesd com pared to which the best rail-
road record. are merely a snai's saunter. there
,po Indication that business has been dscon-
tnued on his account in any civilized part OF
III. world and the business OF drawing IN last
wills and tsstamcnts has not appreciably in
creased In fact. those who have paid tho mat
ter any attention seem reasonably assured that
hu.in.s. n be going on at the old stand Just
.usual On Tuesday. Prof Faib hlmselfthnks
tina, tn. will ho the case unlcss tho comet
should prove to bs made up o. noKious constttu-
ants md should turn OIL til. gas to sucn purpose
that the whole human race won Il be wipod out
Mr. Howard indicates that prNi falb's pre-
- ON tina hast a'tainAhle
mathematical data. ard thinks 1t very likely
,nat when the comet reaches the saTth's path
this gohs wi! lie spinning along on its usual
route .ev safe nj lions Of miles away. llav-
INK thus reassursd the ;imid. Mr.. Howard con-
,l.rs at some length the curious career ot
IrlSs famous comet. which las been caus"
o. terror To- scientists aud common people
AXE. and which furnished magnificent
show Of mCteora IN more than one occasion.
Ss'he present comet is expected to 10
R.ea's comet took ts name from Major Biela
g tha Austrian Army. who traced 1t out in
ls2b and furnished such data regarding its
royemeuts ~ 10 convince the other astrono-
rer. Of hiS day that ha hal PROPRIETARY right
in Il The same comet had heon noticed on
March = l172. and again Ia lSu5. II was
rccsrneI that the comet had passed its peri
heIiou tx tines between the two periods with
ont being caught az it ~ the astronomers.
Baron nlmo'sean. calculating the return o.
the ce,ss: al henomenou in lS32. figured out
that Il would collide with the earth
IN November ana ln.uutIously gave
publicity 10 his figures. There was
great public alarm. modified but llttin by the
s..sr' N from other astronomers that the
Baron's tSures were wrong and that there was
~ danger o. an encounter Of the worlds.
some German journalists hli already taken
the matter ny subject for lurd d scusslon
anl prophecy. ant s. general was he per'urha-
ton on the Continent that an eminent scientist
a. France brought the subject be'or" the
Academy Of Sci, noes IN Paris and suggested
'hR' the academy take steps - al'ay he inn
IonIInG Pane II r-'ui,ng althoriia'ively the
n'-ft n "a: Baron Dtmo,seau. In his address
ii.- gentleman said
= rp'rr tyr.p.S ire productive o' serious
Consequence. Several members Of the Acad-
'ny rTy SIN remember the accidents and
t'"r'rgs which followed similar announce
tsn' imirudeuty communicated to the
AclIomy hy VI. Ialand" in May. 1913 Pers0us
D'weak mind died Of fright ard women mis-
carried There wer. rot wanting people who
knew 100 vel the art Of turnir z to their own
rron, the dread Inspired by the approach In (
comet. md PAGES In Paradise were sod az a
very hIGh rate. The announcement - tho
comet u 1872 may produce similar effects
nen ne authority OF the Academy applv \
r-nmI' rsw"Gr:and this saiutary interven' on
isn't m moment imp,oTei by many benevolent
Isrscus
The Academy deputsd the famous krago IN
draw No statement that should r.-e~tailish
we PUBLIC confidence ~ 20 III" con'tnu"i eX-
iS'"n,c o. this "ar'h an! hs-yhaustivs 'r'atss
IN The -noiect proved tha', ne lreade wan,
f-r"r wouldn't get within iJ.vNO'O mites Of
r.'"uth when the orbits lnt"rsec,cd. In con-
There are some parsons who while freely AL.
hitting that he ehrth may IA eyon'th~ reach
any direct co.llslon; bel ey" that the comet
s.f not n"et our or9t Without dnrtnginG T.
''im OF IN" rnraholic ra,h. which shell 1e.
r s'is on G,n n. e." m1T,a ;'na
curves witch cthe sh-a may formerly have
G'-rrhei in N" same regions"
untyen,'nl. the comet was observed by various
s'Tonlm.rs though i was faint At Al times
o'It appearance in mis- region Of tn, unlverse
!, July, lS'fa furnished littls opportunity for
p,riheIIqn to IN. sun, in who's, briilisncs It's
ainf rsiiance was lost II was found again
S & and Of q y" on sSTSs
T. S% 55 s en"G"%s"a In as.?nsm!ca
,opear share It.rnt forth, no. tall willis this
,ns wa, going on PROT chsI!is using
jan IT, RE T1s ieoP' to at strns
.y"sor h. glass when he heh-d wo comets
t. Sna s.'G eo s2r such a T Sns
had ever been hear! oihsfors. His observa.
!ons were soon verified. however. by the
,n.'somony of other astr onomers In other local
YES and soon after, both parts Of the divided
noussh9d un'urle ell luminous tails and Jour
nev-d along side by side Tho observers wnre
mnch amazed at Binding tnat the relative
eerLllancy OF the pair was extremely variable.
nntst the larger portlo being the brighter. then
Mesmaler outshlning its partner. The arger
noiv was computed to BE- about three
ZINES the voum" o. the smaller. On March
~ when the two had been about equal In
tanlanca Tor some time, the smaller suddenly
Irshh 10 bilEc W, as N were and tor eight
iays was by far the more bril- liant On March
very bright star Ike nucleus was seen In
hr EIer Then each threw olt tsntacle OF
.Rnt "hlrh fastened on the OTHER and for four
N,lhthS th"y travelled on together. the centres
StFonnmical interest To this whole world at
ISL Az Tie TINS they were giving evidence
ssV-rr internal disturbances. On March 3
Mty were iouni TO lie about 100 600 miles
snhtt ana presently tho smaller faded entirely
away Lat" n August. 1852. the larger came
mo view. ana three weeks later the smaller
S,ri now much fainter than its former com
E.nIohr wa seen about million miles in tho
rnl, pc secret OF this phenomenal PERFORM
,eWll probably never be so we'd.
.H was rkpectci that in Novem Der. 1872, the
6 n,'h YOU'D meet the comet or its fragments.