The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-04-28
BY II. D. WHEELER.


LICK OBSERVATORY. MT HAM
ILTON. Cal. April 2I-"Got itT
asked the astronomer. It's only about
hundred million miles away and it's
coming this way, 40 miles second.
At one end of the great telescope
was newspaper reporter. AZ the
other end was lIalley's comet. There s
no way OF knowing how the comet
felt. but the reporter felt smaller than
he ever did before In his life, land
reporters sometimes, feel very, very
small indeedD
Il was o'clock in the morning.
From the floor OF the big white dome,
The reporter had climbed up on
huge step ladder. high enough to
reach the eyepiece of the monster
crystal Below him on one side was
DR. w. w Campbell, director of the
observatory; on the other DR.. ii. {.
Curtis. astronomer I'm charge OF the
observations of the comet
"A hundred million miles away and
coming this way 40 miles second.
Twenty-four hundred miles "A min
ute? The reporter drew his eye away
and looked down Everything was
lust as he left IT, He felt himself
growing from nothing TO something so
fast that he clapped his eye back to
the stars There IL was, sure enough.
brilliantly luminous dinner plate In
fuzzy glitterng loop of rope, passed
over It's head, and trailing along be-
hind IT,
Absolutely No Danger.
"And il" mused the reporter, aloud,
more TO the stars than TO the astrono-
mers the brakes or the steering gear
wouldn't work and IL should keep
right on coming this way 40 miles
second there would be just blind
ing light horrible explosion.
frightful maelstrom OF steam, gas and
molten rock and there would go sail
ing away into space not this pretty
old world. but a black. charred cinder
-eternally dead
Don't tell your readers that such
a thing is possible" The director
voice, in the gloom under the great
uome was quiet and very serious.
but isn't II possble-barely pos
sible?" The star gazer was reporter
again.
The answer is absolute no We
have reached point today where we
trace in advance the movements OF
where this comet will be at any given
future time. our distances. our di,.
Tections. our conclusions will be cor
rect within one-half of one per cent.
The articles we are reading. de
sCribing the possible deadly effect of
gases while the earth is passing
through the tail of Halleys comet,
are as ridiculous as those admitting
the possibility of collision between
the earth and the comet So long as
publishers Will print these large imag-
NATIVE articles, the terror of the
comet. a terror as old as Homer can
not entirely disappear.
"A month from today will be one
fine chance for an | told You SO from
The astronomers. won't it?" observed
the reporter as he climbed down
from his perch, leaving the mystery
Of the great piercing eye OF the star.
it dome for the hook lined sanctum
OF the men OF science
Maybe not laughed the director.
IL is not absolutely certain that the
earth will pass through the tail of
Halley's comet You see We know
what the comet is going 10 do but we
don't know absolutely what the tail
t. going TO do"
I'VE know that Halley's comet will
be exactly between the earth and the
sun ON May IS; that the contact with
the suns disc, at the western edge,
viii be AZ 6:22 D. m. Pacific standard
time. that it will require an hour Tor
the comet to pass to the easterly edge
that the head OF the comet will be
li.300,000 miles from the earth But
We do not know absolutely that the
4
earth Judging from the length OF the
tail at present. the tail which YOU JUST
saw. there is little doubt that on May
Is Il will be- longer than the 1900. 900
miles between the head and the earth
May Be Faint Glow.
How will the world know whether
II is passing through the tail Perhaps
-uf14y -frunf- -ubscrvatortes ct II
Is not improbably that there will be-
faint glow some time during or
throughout the night Of the 18th II
j. possible, though rot probable thai
there will be visible an unusual mum
Der OF small meteors. Observers OF
Europe and the American continent
west OF Nevada will not be .,ble TO see
the comet when 1t is nearest the
earth. II will be crossing the sun
end for those observers the sun will
have set
Fear disappears with intimacy II
YOU still have a lurking terror of Hal
lev's comet, take a look al IL from an
observatory: then chat for a half hour
or SO with Campbell or "A Curtiss
with "stargazer.' If YOU please. a
courteous. modest, wonderful star
gazer.