The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-04-20
THE HOBO OF THE HEAVENS
NEAR APPROACH OF PHENOME-
NON AROUSES INTEREST.
Gan Be Seen Just Before Day

h"ley comet Will Soon Present q
Sublime Spectacle. The Earth
! Will Cut Through It's Tail, Which
Is 100000 Miles Long.
For several days now that noted
hobo of the stellar world, Halley's
comet, has been visible low down in
the east at early morn. For some
time yet it will be hardly more than
nebulous blur, though doubtless
many thousands of eager spectators
will be pleased with even that much
of a sight at the celebrated wan
derer.
The comet now rises at 3:45 a. m.
about five degrees north of east,
whereas the sun rises about twelve
| degrees north of east at five o'clock.
Four bright stars can be easily found
In the northeast at the corners of a
square.
The comet reaches it's turning
! point today, April goth, and begins
its long journey out of the solar
system. 1t will be in the most ia
vorable position for observation
about ten days later, and easily visi-
BILE about 4 a. m. midway between
the lowest corner of the great square
and the planet Venus,
1t and the earth are drawing
nearer together now very rapidly.
Its velocity is about twenty-six miles
per second, and that of the earth
about nineteen. They will pass each
other on May 18th at distance
apart of fourteen million miles,
when for about three hours, the
earth will be enveloped in the COM
cts tail. Such a phenomenon has
occurred before with other comets,
but the fact was not known until
some time after its occurrence, when
the mathematicians discovered it.
AS the comet swings westward of
the sun, heading for the earth, the
tail will present a beautiful specta-
Gle, but as it nears the earth its orbit
at the point of nearest contact being
only about 100000 miles from us
1.-THE tail will point more and more
directly toward us, and on May 18th
! the earth for several hours will be
! enveloped in the gaseous matter,
I whatever it may be. of which that
hairy appendage is composed, so
rarified it has been said by scientists
that an entire comet could be con-
fined in high hat. Certainly it
could be hidden beneath the feminine
headgear of the day.
The tail is about 50,000,000 miles
| long, and the earth will cut through
it only 100000 miles from the
nucleus. Observers will give the
keenest attention to chances of posi-
| bic glow in our atmosphere, but they
expect little or nothing to indicate
the presence of cometic matter. In
our longitude we shall pass through
the tail at night. The people of the
Antipodes, and as far east as Ha-
wall, may see transit of the comet
across the disc of the sun.
This is the first instance when
actual passage of the earth through
any part of a comet could be exactly
computed in advance. In the case of
other comets so intimate with us
their appearance was unexpected and
the time insufficient for such COM
putation. After the event had oc-
CURED, however, it was known that
in 1861 the earth actually passed
through the head of a comet, and in
1881 through the tail of another.
| Nobody was aware of this at the mo-
ment of contact, though some imag-
! NATIVE observers assumed to have
seen fiery atmosphere. Halley's
comet has been SO deliberate in its
movements that exact computation
{ has been made of its various posi-
tions, with the result that it is known
we of this longitude will begin to
! pass through the tail at about
O'Clock the evening of May 18th and
will be passing through it for about
three hours.
AS the comet travels this side of
! the sun speeding toward the earth
at the rate of several million miles
a day it will grow brighter rapidly,
so that the spectacle is to be one of
increasing sublimity.
! Later in May the comet will be
quite conspicuous in the evening sky
after sunset 1t will set about 7:15I
p. m. on the goth, about $40 D. m.
on the 21st and $50 p. m. on the
22nd. After this it will be visible
at still later hour until it finally
fades from sight.
A SURPRISE WEDDING.