Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-09-18
AGEp COMET RrruRNs
Makes It's Appearance onCe Ia rs
Years.

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WASHINGTON. D. O., Sept. Ia
Astronomers at the Naval obserya-
tory are not paying much attention
70 the return Of Haley's comet, which
Is now approaching the earth. This
comet makes an appearance every as
years. and il the oldest celestial
wanderer known to earth-peopIe, hav-
Ing been observed, according TO old
records previous TO the beginning OF
the Christian era. Scientific obserya-
tons since the inception OF the mod
ern acience OF astronomy show that
IT'S orbit varied little and that It may
be confidently expected according to
schedule time.
While Washington astronomers are
not taking observations, several west
ern observatories have made prepare
lions to photograph the comet, and
should their efforts develop anything
OF value, the Naval Observatory will
later take MP the comet quest.
With the announcement OF every
returning comet, superstitous people
Immediately begin TO entertain absurd
fears OF what might happen in case
OF a collision. While not denying
that such collision Ii possible. and
that conditions might develop which
would render II disastrous, most as
tronomers assert that such a disaster
ia so remote as TO be almost unthink-
able.
Some scientists believe that life
was extinguiahed in the earth more
than once by fires generated by
comets and that the growth or hui
man, animal and vegetable life had
TO begin all over again and took
millions Of years to reach It's present
development
A comet, in brief, is bit OF some
planet which has cracked of and
Is flying rapidly through space. Ii
Is intensely hot. 1t generates enor-
nous heat by tie friction going
through the ether Every such
comet, while measuring perhaps
thousands Of miles in diameter at
the head, carries with 1t sort OF
burning atmosphere Of its own. which
preeedes II for some distance and
trails out behind 1t for hundreds OF
thousands Of miles This forms what
Is known as the ''tall" OF the
comet.
Some comets have been declared
70 have tails millions OF miles in
length which stretch across the
heavens.
Metorites. which are fragraments
OF comets. have destroyed ships at
sea and made huge holes in the
earth. Many OF these have fallen In
the south west. which seems to be
fayorite place for meteorltes. and the
dessert OF Arizona is pitted with
holes which many miners believe
were made by such visitors.
The earth came in contact with
the tail Of a comet on June 80, 1851.
Il was lis degrees long. Many peo-
pie thought II caused the Civil war.
The comet appeared low down to-
ward the horizon in the Northwest
and went over the southwest. The
whole heavens rs we see them are
only 1870 degrees, SO our comet
struck across almost the whole
heavens.
We were buried into the sub
stance OF that comets tail 400. 900
miles, And there was not the slight
est thing by which anybody could
know what happened. There was
not even haze. The tails OF comets
are so thin. so tenuous. that II Is
almost impossible to put II In words.
Through the NUCLEUS or head OF
comet the light Of NTH magnitude
star passes without any diminuition.
There are dozens OF lost comets
known TO astronomy. These mon
sters OF the sky hove into sight.
astonished everybody by their bril-
liancy, had their orbits calculated
aud then when the astronomers pre-
dieted they were going to reappear
they never returned and the astrono-
mers were covered with confusion