The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-05-16
COMET INVISIBLE
UNTIL FRIDAY
EVENING
Celestial Visitor Starts lis
Dive Between Earth aid Sun
4s MILES PER SECOND
Tail viii EnveIop the Earth for About
Two Hours Wednesday
Night

Halley's comet, although nearer to
the earth than at any previous time
On this visit is now invisible as II
crosses between the earth and the
sun and 1t will remain invisible until
1t reappears in the evening sky after
sunset Friday evening, that is Of
course If left intact after its expert
ence Wednesday night.
Though astronomers have assured
everybody that there is no danger, 1t
is calculated to give thinking people,
especially those who have seen the
comet, somthing of shudder, TO have
so brilliant and gigantic a celestial
visitor disappear utterly and at the
same time to know that 1t is not gone
but under cover of the sun is rushing
toward the earth at the rate OF three
millions of miles a day armed with
a tail" 20 odd millions of miles in
length and sweeping the sky with. no
body knows what kind of poisonous
gases or other lurking dangers.
The passage of the earth through
the comets tail occurs on the night Of
Wednesday, May is, beginning at
l1.20 o'clock and ending about l:20
o'clock Thursday morning. after
which the comet will be visible in the
evening instead of the morning. AT
their respective speeds of is and 25
miles a second they will pass each
other at the joint rate OF 40 miles
second Two days after the passage
CT the comets tail It's head will be at
its nearest to the earth, l4,3OO.O00
miles. The comets orbit is inclin-
ed to that OF the earth at an angle
Of IS degrees
Practically at midnight Wednesday
night the comet in passing between
the earth and the sun will be in a dir
ect line between the two and only
one sixth as far from the earth as IL
is from the sun. The tail OF the com
ct instead OF dragging behind Il
stands ont at an acute angle TO the
right as we face the comet and all Of
the tail beyond some II million miles
from the head will pass. outside the
orbit of the earth.
The passage coming as IL does
when It Is midnight on this side Of
the earth means that our side will be
| the side away from the comet at the
time of passage but as the comet sails
away into space after taking the wick
ct between the earth and the sun this
side OF the earth will pass Just as
near Il as the opposite side. This
will occur on Friday and Saturday
when the earth will be actually near.
er the comet than on Wednesday
night when we pass through the tail.
The explanation of the present invis
ibility OF the comet is simple and
easily understood. As the comet ap-
peared from the depths OF space TO
make It's swing around the sun as
happens once In 70 years IL came up
on the side OF the sun opposite from
the earth and curved around the
sun. AT the extremity OF It's path in
this direction IL was far enough
above the sun Wednesday. Thursday
and Friday mornings TO be the most
clearly visible and the most thrilling
spectacle.
The comet having reached the cx
tremity OF the orbit IN this direction
last Thursday II swung again down
ward for its dive between the sun
and the earth and as Il comes be
tween the two Il gets more and NOR,
into the daylight and so cannot b,
seen, though getting nearer nj IN,
rate OF 4S miles per second. Aftel
passing through the gap It's cours,
will be back TO the depths OF spac,
and almost directly opposite to IN,
course OF the earth and Il will there
fore be visible all the time until /
finally fades away altogether iron
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