The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1908-10-23


I2YE YE,HR5
No one need be at all surprised If
two years hence, the nations of the
world suddenly become a family OF
ardent skywatchers, for in 1910 the
return of a certain periodic comet is
promised, one lost to mortal eye since
1885. The recorded apparitions OF
this celestial object are endowed with
a hoary antiquity, since they stretch
back over eight centuries of the lives
If it's recurrence in 1852 it was OBJ
served and studied by Edmund HALEY
q famous English astronomer and col
league of the illustrious Newton. Aft
er laborious research he reached the
conclusion as the result of arithmeti
cal calculations relating to its per
turbations, that the comet was thing
in space identical with the cometary
apparatus of 1881 and 1907. He
framed a table of the motion of COM
cts 'in the making OF
which | have spared no labor that ii
might come forth perfect as a thing
consecrated to posterity, and to last
as long as the science of astronomy
itself"
By reason of the fact that the
comets temperance once again to
human vision was predicted by Hal
ley for the end of 1858, or beginning
of 1851 dare venture to foretell
that it will return again in 1858" were
his words--it is universally and prop
erly known as ISllley's comet. The
author of this grand and novel dis
covery appertaining to the pedigree
and identity of a comet (from which
so much knowledge in cometary as
tronomy has since sprung) did not
himself live to scan the heavens on
that memorable Christmas day in 1858
when, true to prediction, the comet
appeared, visible to the naked eye, and
seen in many lands.
HALEY died at Greenwich in 1912
at the ripe age of Sc, and was buried
at Lee, in Kent. An Inscription on
his tombstone records that with his
dearest wife there reposes by far the
chief astronomer of his age, and adds
these pregnant words: THAT you may
know, reader, what kind of. and how
great a man he was, read the multi
farious writings with which he has il
Illustrated, adorned and amplified near
~ all the arts and Sciences
The records of history provide us
with a variety of details respecting
the apparitions of the comet we are
led to expect in 1910. In 1866 its APP
pearance was considered to be an
omen in the sky presaging England's
conquest by William of Normandy.
In 1856 it was wonderful object, and
covered nearly 20 degrees of the
heavens, being visible for month;
moreover, it was for a time circum-
polar. so that it could be seen above
the northern horizon all night. When
it came again in 1881 it found Ameri-
ca discovered, printing invented, and
the Reformation begun. AS we already
know it was foreseen for its cycle OF
1858. At its last return in 1885 it was
first observed at Rome, on August 5,
and afterwards was visible to the
naked eye throughout October, pos
sessing a tail from 20 degrees to 30
degrees long. 1t passed within 4,5OO,-
600 miles of the earth.
Regarding the 1910 apparition,
Prof. II. C. Wilson of Goodsell obser-
III o.
one with the aid of a great telescope
or a Photographic camera may catch
sight of the expected visitor during the
winter of 190S-9. That, indeed, we
NAV even begin to search for it this
present month. Almost certainly it
may be found by September or Octo-
Der. 1909 1t is to be noted, how
ever. that it will then be only a small
nebula, whatever tail it has being in
position directly behind it as seen from
the earth.
The wonderful gaseous streamer
which we call a comets tail increas-
es in luminosity as the comet APP
proaches perihelion-that is to say,
the point in its orbital travel when it
is nearest the sun. This cometry mat
ter is of varying but enormous length;
indeed. we must think of comets tails
in terms of millions of miles. Donatfs
comet of 1858 reached a length of 60
degrees. and swept as broad curved
plume across the heavens, a superb
and impressive spectacle. Astrono-
mers tell us that the most probable
Of a comet is that while
the head consists Of a more or less
swarm OF meteors en-
veloped in gas and dust, the tail is a
current OF gas and sometimes dust
from the nucleus.
What If Mother Earth came into
collision with one of these peripatetic
objects from out the depths Of space?
More than 200 years ago HALEY pom
dered over this very possibility. May
the great good God" said he. avert