The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-15
HON.
 ING COMET
AFTER sEvENTY-THREE YEARS ABSENCE IT Es AGAIN EARTH
 wARDBOUND. s@
Back in Tsss 1t started on Into Space. But the Esver-Pattens Astronpmers Have Not Forgotten, and Wtll
 Welcome ProdiGaI's
 RR4uFm

New York Evening Post. S
 If for no other reason than that ft has not been seen since the year 1885, Haiieys comet. the reappearance. of which Is expected almost any moment. is attracting keen interest among as- tropomers throughout the world. Rare. indeed, is the scientist with the tele- scope ct his disposal who has not been scanning the heavens of recent nights in the hope of spying the rapidly ap- preaching body.
 In the large observatories, notably the Lick. in California. and the Yerkes in Ohios instruments are trained upon first make it's appearance, with night ly regularity. As yet no trace of the flying luminous mass has been report ed. but few astronomers would be sur prised to wake up some inc morning and hear that Halley's comet had been sighted overnight.
 When last seen Halley's comet was whirllng through space bound for--no one knoWs where-and astronomers then declared 1t would not put in ari- other appearance for seventy-five or seventy-six years. That would set the date of its return somewhere in the year 1910-11.
 But scientists of the early part of the last century did not count upon HAOuoEH - ALiN SiblOuS fWpeH tuSS IAoNS this calculation. And although their figures are said to'be correct. the as- tFonomers of today expect to catch a glimpse of the body well in advance of it's predicted reappearance.
 This feat will be accomplished by the aid of photography--at least, so the astronomers hope-=photograph and the 'tcomet seeker" neither of which was known to the scientists of old. By means of highly sensitive plates, as- tronomers expect to photograph the comet before it comes within the range of telescopic vision. This 1t is perfectly possible to do.
 Its Course Is Known.
 They know almost the exact spot in the heavens where. the object of their search Is likely to be found; its course is practically established. And the uncanny part of, 1t is that what the eye cannot gee. even with the most powerful telescope, the camera can and does detect.
 Exposures of varying duration are made, and the plates developed. So far. those who are using these meth ods have not been rewarded by sight of the comet but the work Is carried on, nevertheless. with every prospect of ultimate success
 HaIey's comet has an enviable his- tory. but it's chief claim to distinc- tion rests in the fact that 1t was the first periodic comet whose return was predicted Edmund Haley, an Eng fish astronomer. observed its behavior in 1882, and made calculations which led him to conclude that it was the same comet which had been seen and noted several times before. He fig- ured that 1t would come back in sev- enty-hve or sevenly-six years. and although he did not live to see the event the comet did return according to schedule. Consequently it has been called Ha1lev's comet.
 There is a myth connected with this comet, which has been the subject of discussion ever since Haley brought the celestial body into prominence. History tells of a comet in the year 14s6. which people took to be an evil omen. Every one was thoroughly frightened, so the story runs and ter TOT spread throughout all ChristeHdon1. It was Halley's comet-or rather 1t was destined to become Halley's comet more than two centuries later
 According to the legend. Pope Cal ixtus III. needing the complications of his subjects. commanded prayers to be offered up for protection from the Turks and the comet This act has been called the Pope's famous Dull a against the comet" but 1t has been branded as a mere legend.