East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-09-18

w dSnln BtOn, sept lS,-AStlOnO-
mers at the naval observatory are not
paying much attention to the return
OF Haleys comet, which Is now ap-
preaching the earth. This comet
makes an appearance every IS years,
and is the Oldest celestial wanderer
known to earth-people, having been
observed, according to old records,
previous to the beginning Of the
Christian era Scientific observations
since the inception Of the modern
science Of astronomy show that its or
bit varied little and that 1t may be
confidently expected according TO
schedule time.
While Washington astronomers are
not taking observations, several
western observatories have made
preparations to photograph the COM
ct, and should their efforts develop
anything of value. the naval observa-
tory will later take up the comet
quest.
With the announcement OF every
returning comet. supertitous people
Immediately begin to entertain alb
surd fears Of what might happen in
case Of a collision. While nit deny
ing that such a collision is possible,
and that conditions might develop
which would render 1t disastrous,
most astronomers assert that such
disaster IS so remote as to be almost
unthinkable
Some scientists believe that life was
extinguished on the earth more than
once by fires generated by comets
and that the growth Of human, ami
NAL and vegetable life took millions
OF years to reach its present develop
ment
\ comet, in brief, is a bit Of some
planet which has cracked off and is
flying rapidly through space. 1t IS
intensely hot. 1t generates enormous
heat by its friction going through the
ether. Every such comet, while meas
uring perhaps thousands Of miles in
diameter at the head, carries with 1t
sort OF burning atmosphere of its
own, which precedes it for some dis
tance and trails out behind it for hum
dreds of thousands of miles in length
which stretch across the heavens.
Meteorites. which are fragments of
comets have destroyed ships at sea
and made huge holes in the earth.
Many OF these have fallen in the
southwest, which seems to be a ia
yorite place for meteorites. and the
desert of Arizona is pitted with holes
which many miners believe were
made by such visitors.
The earth came in contact with the
tail of comet on June 80, 1861. The
tail was 11S degrees long. Many peo-
pie thought it caused the civil war.
The comet appeared low down to-
ward the horizon in the northwest.
The whole heavens as we see them
are only $50 degrees. So our comet
struck across almost the whole heav-
ems.
We were buried into the substance
of that comets tail 100000 miles. And
there was not the slightest thing by
which anybody could know what
happened There was not even a
haze. The tails OF comets are so thin,
so tenuous, that it is almost impos-
sible to put It in words Through
the nucleus or head Of a comet the
light of a fifth magnitude star passes
without any diminuition.
yTbarp ore dOzpng Of lost comets
known to astronomy These monsters
Of the sky hove into sight, astonshed
everybody by their briliancy, had
their orbits calculated and then when
the astronomers predicted they We're
going to reappear they never return
ed and the astronomers were covered
with confusion.