Morris tribune., 1909-09-25
COMET TO APPEAR.
Most Magnificent Sight in Hea-
vens Next Spring.

hcent sights the heavens have ever
disclosed" said one of the we'll
known members of the astronomical
force at the United States Naval OBJ
servatory at Washington recently.
"Halley's comet comes only once in a
lifetime, and many are born, live and
die without ever catching glimpse
of it in it's dash across the skies. Tt
was last seen in 1885, and few persons
now alive can say they have seen it.
The astronomer explained that the
entire astronomical world is now on
the qui vive and that huge refracting
telescopes, as well as rejecting ones.
are being trained upon the heavens
from every important strategic point
of observations in an effort to locate
the comet, which is approaching the
earth at rate that would make the
swiftest express train look like snail.
With every advantage as the result
of the past three quarters of a centu-
ry of development in astronomical
science, at their command, all of the
leading observatories are engaged now
in friendly rivalry to see which will
be the first to sight the comet. The
this is done the news will
travel as fast as cable and wireless
can carry the announcement and the
following night telescopes in the five
continents will be trained like big
guns toward the domain of the new
conner in the heavens.
"The coming of this comet will be
by far the most important astronmi-
cal event of recent years. We have
calculated that Halley's comet is now
within the orbit of the planet Jupi-
ter" said the astronomer, ssand is
rushing toward the orbit of the earth
at the rate of million miles a day.
AS faint nebulous object in the con-
stellation Orion it will no doubt be
sighted in a few weeks. In fact ce-
lestial photography has it already To-
Gated in limitless space far beyond
the vision of the most delicate tele-
scopic research.
As the comet enters into the orbit
of our solar system it. will grow
brighter every day until it becomes
visible to the naked eye. Aside from
this it has an interesting place in
classical, as well as astronomical, lit
erature. When it was last seen it
was year before the birth of Simon
the great American astro-
who has just died but whose
splendid mathematical mind had long
since located it's whereabouts in the
realms of infinite space.
There will be no danger of a COLI
sion. When closest it will be about
&c, 900, 900 miles away. It should be
brightest about next May. After
about July it will gradually pass away
and early in 1911 disappear into a
night of inpenetrable darkness, to be
seen no more until the close of the
present century.
"You can say that astronomical So
,ieties and observatories in Europe
and America are making special ar
for Halley's comet obser-
continued the astronomer.
sThe telegraph is a facility not avail
sble in 1885 and there were at that
lime nothing like the great telescope
enses of today, or the great 4O-inch
'efractive telescopes which Mr.. Yerk-
IS of Chicago gave to the great OBJ
of his name in Wisconsin,
bout sixty miles northwest of Chi
ago.
"With ali these facilities astrono-
ners will this time work in absolute
with each other, and COM
nittee was some time ago formed for
he purpose of reporting a plan for
deserving Halley's comet. This COM
nittee has reported at the final ses-
ion of the Astronomical and Astro-
'hysical Society of America at the |
yerkes observatory, on Lake Geneva,
ear William Bay, Wis. The presi-
ent of that society, Professor Ed
Yard G. Pickering of Harvard College !
observatory, was chairman of the
other members being Pro- !
sssor George G.. Comstock of the
of Wisconsin and Profes-
DR. Bernard of the Yerkes observa-
Dry.
arrangements have been made for
observations between the
reat observatories of the world, by
'hich series of telescope photos
i'll be taken at the Lick, Yerkes, Ma
al and other observatories in this
ountry and all of the large observa-
,ries abroad, including those at Ber-
n, Vienna, Paris and Greenwich. We
ant to get a long series of actual
,lescopic photographs of this comet.O