The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-05-16
NEW COMET IS A WONDER
HAS GONE FIFTY MILLION MILES
~ TWENTY DAYS.
Dr. Serene Bishop Writes Interesting
Facts Concerning Present Comet and
Other Comets He Has Seen.

EDITOR STAR: Just now is good
time to tell what one knows, or does
not know about comets. The comet
now on view was reported just 20 days
ago from Cape Town, as being brilliant,
triple-t tailed, and rapidly approaching
the sun.
This is extremely important informa-
ton. 1t means, first, that this comet
has I'm 20 days swept in an orbit of at
least $4,000. GOO miles towards. around,
and away from the sun. This is an
average velocity of more than twice
that of the earth in it's orbit. 1t i'm
plies more than thrice that speed at the
perihelion. or point nearest the sun.
To attain such a velocity, the perihe-
lion must have approached quite close
ly to the sun, although less so than
the comet of 1910 which nearly grazed
the philosophers, being visible at mid
day while doing so, and swept half
round the Solar orb in twelve hours.
Another token of this comets close
approach to the sun, is it's loss of the
three tails which were originally seen
behind it. 1t is plainly impossible for
a comet to swing it's tail or tails around
behind it, when passing close to the
sun at extreme velocity. In order to do
this, the necessary orbital velocity of
the end of the tail would be more than
one hundred times that of the nucleus
of the comet. The result is that the
tenuous vaporous appendage must be-
come detached, and dissipated into
space. The comet, however, after be-
coming fairly set in it's retreat from the
sun, will begin pushing out a new tail
ahead of it's course. / had the good for
tune to observe the immense comet of
1882, when the extremity of the tail was
not faint or underlined as usual to COM
cts, but was sharply cut off like the
beveled end of simitar. This showed
that the tenuous vapor of which the
tail was composed, was being swiftly
pushed out into space, by the repul-
sive force in action probably from the
nucleus and the sun together.
believe that the spectroscope has
not yet disclosed the substance of which
a comets tail is composed. 1t may be
the same as that of the corona stream
ers from the sun, which are seen in to-
tai .eclipses. The constitution of those
corona-streamer is one of the prob
lens which the Sumatra Eclipse eXpe-
dition is seeking to solve.
The fact seems to be well establish
ed that the nuclei of comets are com
posed of dense aggregations of mete-
orites. This has been proved by the
disintegration of at least one comet in
to a stream of meteors. 1t is probable
that in approaching the sun, violent
among the cluster of meteorites atten-
ded by evolution of their accluded gases
by FRACTIONAL and solar heat. Thus an
immense coma, or gaseous envelope of
the nucleus is eXtruded, becoming bril-
liantly luminous. Thus also, caudal
appendage or appendages are driven
out, and repealed by the suns electric
force, away from it. If there are more
tails than one, they repel each other,
flaming out, as in the splendid Donati
comet of 1858
We do not yet know the substance
of which the tail is composed. 1t is
almost inconceivably tenuous In the
great comet of 1860, the earth passed
through the tail, without any indica-
ton of the fact by any effect on our
atmosphere. Were a comet-nucleus to
collide with our globe, there would
probably be a dense shower of meteors
and perhaps falls of some large mete-
orites. There could hardly be any very
destructive effect.
a probably early determination of the
orbit of the present comet will be await
ed with interest as it will determine
how near to the earth we may have the
pleasure of seeing it pass.
S. E. BISHOP.
Honoiulu Nav IL 1901