The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1903-10-17
STARS THAT STEAL.
Some Planets and Suns Occasionally Pick
Up Minor Planets.

some IlaneIS anu suns = ~ ~
Up Minor Planets.
Jupiter Is much the biggest 1neWne.
If the family Of stars which revolvc
around our suit. Consequently tie
power of his attraction Is greater than
that possessed, for instance. by the
earth. Jupiters exploits us burglar
caused very considerable annoyance
and inconvenience to the astronomers
IN the days before his powers We're
fully recognized.
In 177O there appeared Il fine comet,
which was found to have an elliptlcal
orbit around the sun of so comparative
Iy small a size that Mr. LcXall, It's dis
royerer, calculated it would return III
five and half years. But in 11Io
telescopes were yainly focused on the
spot where it was expected to reappear.
and again in 17S1 it disappointed al
observers. Mr.. Lexall plunged into
fresh calculations, and after much re-
search found that Jupiter was the
culprit. The unfortunate comet had
been rash enough to plunge into the
sphere of the giant planets attraction,
with the result that it had been COM
pletely diverted from its former orbit
and flung off into quite a different one
Of a twenty years period. 1t has. never
been seen again by any one on this
earth, and probably never will be.
Jupiter was also responsible for the
delay which occurred in the return Of
that splendid visitant known as Hal
ley's comet. HALEY found that he was
not the first discoverer of this big
comet. 1t had appeared at least twice
once seventy-five years be-
fore, and again seventy-six years be-
fore that. The astronomer concluded
that there would be further delay in
its third return, and predicted that its
next appearance would be 51S days
later. He did not live to see it; but in
1853. the year he had prophesied for
it's reappearance, the astronomers were
waiting for it.
But they waited for more than three
before it did actually appear.
and then found that it was the planet
Saturn they had to thank for delaying
the comet this extra hundred days.
The same comet appeared again in
1885, this time late again. Not only
had Jupiter delayed it 51S days and
Saturn about 100, but Uranus had also
had a hand in retarding it, and had
added another sixty-five days to its
Journey.
Our own earth is by no means guilt
ess. 1t is constantly picking up un-
considered trif1es of stardust, which |
'ange all the way from the thirteen |
'oot long mass of metoric rock lately |
'ound by Professor Ward in Mexico,
lown to the infnitesimal particles
which are found on the roof of st.
oaul's, on the Arctic SHOWS and at the
ottom of the deep sea. 1t is calculated
hat the total amount of matter thus
bsorbed by us is certainly not less
han 100000 tons year, and that,
therefore,, the weight Of this world is
Increasing at that high rate every
welve months.
1t appears also that we may be oc-
asionally responsible for the disap-
of poor unoffending comet
siela's comet, which went astray. is
opposed to have been absorbed by the
arth. That amazing shower Of shoot.
1g stars, which was seen on November
{, 1927, may have been the death
hroes of this misty space-traveler.-
.ondon Answers.