The Washington herald., 1909-02-17
LOOKING FOR HALLEY's COMET.
Astronomers the World Over Await
Advent of This Heavenly Body

From the Londou Globe
Astronomers ali the world over are
4 eagerly awaiting the advent Of HALEY
comet, which viii be a beautiful object
in the SKY during the spring and summer
81 1910. The history Of this comet forms
/ one Of the romantic chapters IN the rec
ords OF astronomy, and is insperably
I connected with the name OF Edmund Hal
ley, who occupies a foremost place among
the great English astronomers OF the
past
The great comet OF 1852, says the Uni
VeTsity Recorder, engaged HaIIey's atten-
ton for several years. lie collected the
records OF various conspicuous comets
which had previously been observed. and
was struck By certain resemblance IN ap-
( pearance and rate Of motion between the
1852 comet and a comet seen IN 100 An
other record. by Appian. OF q hne comet
in 1891. led Haley IN 1705 10 the concur
sion that these were three successive ap-
+ pearances or one and the same comet and
that this body Is a member Of the solar
system. moving like q planet along an
ellptical path round the sun once in
about seventy-six years. but n an oppo-
/ site direction 70 that OF the planets and
with large orbit OF much greater &c
4 centricty-
I He predicted that the comet would next
appear IN 175I or I75S IL actually ap-
f pear on Christmas Day. I75S and was
closest 10 the sun on March =. 1888 Hal
/ leys comet appeared last in Ks and
vas carefully observed By SIT John Her
scheM As il approached the sun lis
Z long spreading tail. as well as its head
coma. diminished in size and the comet
was less brilliant than in 1873. Il Is now
well established that comets lose part OF
( their substance al every. approach 10 the
sun. owing 10 their throwing out long
Z tails. and in the case OF short period COM
cts the time Of perihelion H. 2. Of nearest
approach 20 the SUM Is retarded BY sew
lerai hours 81 each successive return. The
I tails appear 10 consist OF minute particles
/ repealed from the sUn-perhaps by the
( iight and heat waves.
7 OF all comets which have been observed
more than once. Halley's has the largest
orbit and the longest period OF revolution
many comets have been seen once only,
and in some cases the calculation OF the
/ orbit gives a period Of hundreds Of thou
sands Of years. Hslley's comet has beer
! recorded twenty-five times. the earliest
! reliable record being for B c. IL It's
/ appearance IN 10s6 is piOusly registered
/ in the Norman Chronicles as evidence Of
/ Williams divine right 20 invade England
T and Sc Is depicted IN the Bayeux tapesIy-
{ According 10 Prof. Wilson. the Ccudi-
tons attending It's next visit VIII be
similar 10 those obtaining IN 1856. so that
an unusually hne display Is expected. At
+ its fsrthest the comet is over 5000 o18. 00c
miles from the sun. but IT viii approach
+ to within S9oooelt miles. Al present. i
7 IS outside the orbit Of Jupiter. There is
no doubt that with the improved meth
! eds OF spectrO-photography now al the
T disposal of astronomers. a rich harvest OF
4 observations viii be Teaped in 1910. which
T VIII clear up many disputed points con
cernfng the constitution and origin OF
comets.