The daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 190?-1908, 1908-11-04

flbE ltHhO
No one need he at all surprised If, 1
two years hence, the nations of the |
world suddenly become 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
,his celestial object are endowed with
hoary antiquity, since they stretch
back over eight centuries Of the lives
and deeds of puny man. At the date
uf its recurrence In 1852 II was OBJ
served and studied by Edmund HALEY,
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 a thing
in space Identical with the cometary
apparatus of 1881 and 1907. He
framed a table OF the motion OF com-
cts I'm the making of
which have spared no labor that IL
might come forth perfect as thing
consecrated to posterity, and to last
as long Ms the science OF astronomy
itself"
by reason OF the fact that the
comets temperance once again TO
human vision was predicted by Hal
Icy for the end of 1853. or beginning
of 1851 dare venture to foretell
that Il will return again in 175S,' were
his words-it is universally and prop
erly known as Halley's comet. The
author of this grand and novel dis
covery appertaining to the pedigree
and identity OF comet (from which
80 much knowledge in cometary as.
trOnomy has since sprungl did not
himself live To scan the heavens on
that memorable Christmas day in 1853
when. true To prediction. the comet
appeared. visible TO the naked eye. and
seen in many lands.
HALEY died at Greenwich In l742
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 man he was. read the multi.
farious writings with which he has il
lustrnted, adorned and amplified near.
ly all the arts and sciences"
The records of history provide us
with variety Of details respecting
the apparitions of the comet we are
led to expect in 1910. In 1866 it's APP
nnnuIAnrnI tn In n
onen In the sky presaging England's
conquest by William of Normandy.
In 1856 Il was wonderful object, and
covered nearly 20 degrees OF the
heavens. being visible for a month; ;
moreover, II was for time circum-
polar, 30 that IL 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 II was foreaeen for its cycle of
1858. AT Its last return in 1896 1t was
irst observed at Rome, on August 5,
and afterwards was visible TO the
naked eye throughout October. pos.
sessing tail from go degrees to 30
degrees long IL passed within 4.5OO.'
900 miles of the earth.
Regarding the 1910 apparition,
Prof. ". G. Wilson of Goodsell obser'
vatory. thinks it possible that some
one with the aid Of great telescope
or n Photographic camera may catch
eight OF the expected visitor during the
winter OF 19OS-9. That. indeed, we
may even begin To search for 1t this
present month Almost certainly II
may be found by September or octo
ber, 1909. II is to be noted. how
ever. that H. Will then be only 2 small
aebula. whatever tail II has being in O
position directly behind IL as seen from
The earth.
The wonderful gaseous streamei
which we call comets tail lncreas
90 In luminosity as the comet ap
proaches perihelion-that is to say
the point In It's orbital travel when Il
is nearest the sun. This cometcy mat
ter Ia Of varying but enormous length;
indeed. We must think Of comets tails
in terms OF millions OF miles. Donati's
comet of 1883 reached n length OF G(
degrees. and swept as broad curved
plume across the heavens. superb
and impressive spectacle. Astrono
ruers tell us that the most probabl,
explanation OF II comet Is that while
the head consists of more or lesi
concentrated swarm OF meteors en-
yeloped in gas and dust. the tail Is ,
current OF gas and sometimes dus
proceeding from the nucleus.
What II Mother Earth came int
collision with one of these peripateti'
objects from oat the depths of space
More Than 200 years aSo HALEY pom
dered over this very possibility. Ma
the 81 sat good Gnd, said he, aver