Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-07-26
DANIEL COMET DID
EOT HIT THE EARTH
PREDICTION OCCASION FOR A
LITTLE SCARE AGAIN.
Supposed to Have Reached Near
est Point to Earth Yesterday
However, it Was Several Million
Miles AWay-Celestidl Visitor
Could Be Seen With Naked Eye,

A few Waterfowl people were a
little 'scared" yesterday 1t was
comet ''scare," occasIoned by the
report of a. tronomers to the effect
that the DAME comet would make its
nearest approach to the earth, being
but mere matter of $1,000, 900 miles
away. The celestial was said to be
steadily approaching and could be seen
last night with the naked eye, rising
about 80 in the constellation of Taur-
US.
This comet was discovered on June
9th by Professor Daniel of Princeton
university, who later lost track of it.
On June %, it was re-discovered
by Professor K. T. Crawford of the
University of California observatory.
Since that time it has been steadily
visible through an opera glass. Its
location last night, might have been
seen by any one who cared to have
looked, close to the bright star a lbe-
dam. According to the orbit COM
puted by government scientists, the
comet is moving in plane inclined
nine degrees to the ecliptic. 1t will.
make its nearest approach to the sun
on September 3. when it will be less
than SO, 900, 900 miles away.
Washington astronomers say that
this will be the last opportunity to see
an important -wanderer until 1910,
when Halley's comet is due to make
its nearest approach to earth on May
l6. in February and March of that
year it will be nearly stationary in
the constellation Pisces. At that time
it Will be family visible to the naked
eye. In April, 1910, 1T will be in
conjunction with the sun, becoming
then a morning star visible shortly
before sunrise. The maximum CT
brightness will be reached In May and
June, when it will appear as shining
light in the heavens. The HALEY
comet appears at intervals of about
seventy-hve years. 1t was first OBJ
served, so far as history records,
eleven years before the Christian are
and it is delineated in the Bayreux
tapestry in commemoration of It's
visit in the yeaI of the Norman con-
quest. In lo45 1t caused great alarm
and brought forth papal bull to quiet
the fears of the superstitiOus Italian
people. The appearance OF a new
celestial visitor has led to a revival
of the discussion regarding comets
revalent last March when an alleged
scientific man gave forth many sensa-
tional interviews regarding the posi-
bility of a collision with the Marchette
c1met. At that time a statement,
Matteucci, the distinguished astrono-
mer of the Vesuvius observatory, was
published in nearly every paper in the
world. containing the astounding an
nouncement that the Marchetre comet
would strike the earth or come so near
as to consume all the atmosphere.
While this dire prediction was not
fulfilled, there are many Washington
scientists who believe that such a
catastrophe is by no means impossible
and that it has occurred before in
the worlds history. 1t is alleged
that life has been totally extIngulshed
more than once by fires gen Grated by
passing comets and that the growth of
human animal and vegetable life had
to beg in all over again, requiring
millions of years to reach it's present
development, That the terrestrial
atmosphere is of highly infamable
character is no doubt, and many as
tronomers allege that the tails of
comets are mads up of acetylene gas.
If this is the case. close contact with
a comets caudal appendage would
likely be distinctly unpleasant for the
Inhabitants of old earth. s'rhe billions
of feet of gas contained in a comets
tail would, if passing close enough
generate sufficient heat to cause the
oceans and rivers TO vanish in mo-
ment in cloud of steam and instantly
destroy everything that breathes.