The weekly true Democrat., 1909-09-03
GaEATEsT sIsHT d 100 WARS


spring you are going 70 witness one OF
the most magnificent sights the heavens
has ever disclosed before your eyes, Z"
said 3 well known member Of the astro-
nomical force at the United States ma
val observatory this afternoon. "Hal-
ley's comet eomes only once in life
time. and many persons are born, live
and die without ever catching glimpse
Of It's marvellous dash oi FIRE across the
skies. It was last seen In 1896, and few
persons now alive can say they have
ever witnessed Il.
The astronomical world Is now on the
watch, and huge Refreshing and reflect
ing telescopes are trained upon the
heavens from many points on the earth
Ia a common effort % locate the comet,
which Is approaching the earth at
teraifiic rate. There is friendly rival
~ 70 see which viii be the first TO pick
up the comet with fbeir mirrors.
''The comet In its fgiA refulgence is
not due until 1910. but By spring Il will
probably be near enough 70 be
visible 10 the naked eye. In the past
It has spanned the heavens almost from
horizon 10 horizon, covering as much
as 100 degrees Of celestial territory, and
standing out like q great living thing Of
Ere. It Is now somewhere OF In space,
but not yet visible 10 astronomers, They
confidently expect someone 70 pick Il
up before the end Of 1903, and after
that 1t will increase in splendOr and size
until Il reaches its nearest approach 10
the earth, sometime next spring, after
which Il will disappear, not 10 be seen
again IN 75 years.
"Halley's comet has been visiting the
vicinity Of the earth ever since 500 or
600 years before Chriat, said the as
tronomer. HALEY was an Englishman,
whose name was given 20 the comet
because he was the hrst b announce
that this particular comet came near the
earth at regular periods Once every 75
years. He went over the records and
BY q series Of computations found what
had previously been regarded as q se-
ries Of different comets, vas nothing
more than the same comet, and that
this, the most magnificent Of them all,
came around regularly once every 75
years. That was during the latter part
OF the eighteenth century, and Haley
announced that this comet would next
appear IN 1853 He never lived to see
it come, but bis successors found that
his prediction came true.
"The comets seyenty-five-yeAr jour
ney viii bring Il toward us near enough
for it 70 be seen early In 1910. It has
never before been photographed, be-
cause photography was invented after
1896. Neither has the spectrOscope been
used upon this comet, this being anOth-
er new invention. The telegraph is an
other facility not available IN 1885, and
there was &C that time nothing like the
great telescope lenses Of today or the
great 4O-ineh refractive telescope ct the
Yerkes Observatory, go miles northwest
Of Chicago.
with Ell these facilities astronomers
will this time work In harmony, and
committee on comets was some time
ago formed for the purpose Of report
ing q plan for observing Haley comet.
This committee reported at the final
session Of the Astronomical and Astro-
physical Society Of America, at the
Yefkes Observatory, on Lake Geneva.
Wis.
"a series of telescope photographs
will be taken at the Lick, Yerkes, Ma.
VA Mnu NAuNE NIIlINANyitcohh ~ NtAkN NNaNl"
try and ell the large obaorvatories
aboard. including those at Berlin. Wen
na, Paris, and Greenwich. We want 20
get q long series Of actual telescope
photographs of this comet on ite coming
cruise through the heavens The comet
will first be picked up someWhece on IN
space by some photographs telescope.
We think We know Just about where the
comet will make lis debut. bat can't
yet see Il. The moment II is found the
news will be flashed around The world. |
There will be no trouble seeing Il
with the naked eye. lt win illuminate
the heavens. We have some early Chi |
nese prints representing Il as q golden
dragon Of the heaven. It will make y
tremendous splash Of FIRE. After Il once
comes and goes Il will shoot away from
the earth going as far away as Neptune, |
the most distant Of the planets, passing |
al Of the other planets enrOuto. iBclud- |
inR Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter and MARI. |
I'VE have calculated that Halley'u
comet Il now within the orbit OF Jupi- |
ter, said the astronomer, "and is rush
Ing toward the orbit Of the earth at the
rate of q million miles day. !
As q faint nebuIus object IN the constel-
latl0n Orion it will no doubt b picked
uD Ia 4 few weeks. Celestial phOtog-
faphy hes q already located ~ jnaitloss
opacs Gar beyond tha vislon nI ths NEST
delicate toIescopio roeearch. As tho
comet eaters INTO the orbit ok our solar
avnf6rs a viii Rrug hriWhtnF ever f'Av
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