The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-04-14
HALLEY'S BLAZING COMET
WILL NOT HARM US
CONTINUED from Page One.)

20 the comets head viii have crossed
the suns disk, but the time OF its &C.
currence will be unfavoraDe for OBJ
servation By civilized people, as It
takes place at apparent noon In the
Pacific ocean, which will be in the
very early hours Of the morning in the
United States
AT the time OF the transit the comet
will be directly between the earth
and the sun, and its distance from the
earth will be only about liOOO,0OO
miles. Should the comets tail al that
time exceed 100000 miles in length,
the earth would pass directly through
the tail Of the comet
On Feb the comets tail was es
tlmated at 100000 miles in length
and conditions are apparently favor
able for a prodigious Development OF
that appendage before the eighteenth
or May IL would be no occasion 70,
SUI prise or alarm IL the comet should
have a tail 30000,000 miles in length
at that time Astronomers know very
little concerning the nature and
composition OF the tails of comets
and II is believed that the present re-
turn of Halley's comet will afford II
more favorable opportunity for in.
creasing our knowledge on this i'm
portant branch OF astronomy than has
ever before been afforded TO modern
science.
Will Pass Eastward.
After the transit OF the comet II
will pass rapidly 10 the eastward, pre-
senting the same glorious appearance
in the western sky in the evening that
IL previously afforded in the morning,
before its conjunction with the sun
AS II recedes from the earth and sun
IL will gradually become fainter, its
tail will become shorter being appar.
emily absorbed by the nucleus or head
OF the comet. until it wholly disaI-
pears and the comet has the appear
ance of hazy star--too faint 10
create any popular interest.
Ii has already been remarked that
this is the third predicted return OF
this comet TO the sun, but there are
several well-authenticated accounts Of
its having visited the sun on many
previous occasions. AT the time OF its
appearance In 1852. methods OF com
putting their paths through the regions
OF space had been devised y astron-
omers, and HALEY availed himself OF
these methods and applied them 10
the computation OF the orbits o, com
cts which had previously been mel
toned in history. In this way he founi
that comets which appeared in 1852
1907, 1881. li56 and 1878 were one and
the same comet, having periodic
time of about 76 years. and then mad
the prediction that II would again ap
pear about the year 1853 or 1859, a
prediction that was in due time con
firmed by observation.
Comet OF 1856.
The appearance Of Halley's comet
III 1856 took place under peculiar and
interesting moral and political con
ditions The Christian nations of Eu.
rope had long been at war with the
followers ii Mahomet. and the sudden
appearan ON the comet filed ali
Europe with CONSERVATION and alarm
and seemed TO forbode the entire sub
jugation III the Christian nations. Pops
Calixtus H., terrified at the appalling
spectacle presented by the comet, ana
aroused by what seemed to be the IN
eyitable Gate of Christianity, directed
the maled.ctions of the church against
the enemies OF the faith, both terres
trial and celestial.
In June. 1856. The comet approach
within about 6000G.000 miles of the
earth, and had a tail reaching from
the zenith nearly to the horizon, and
spread terror throughout Europe. Al
the time OF its nearest approach {,
the earth Il was tar from the plane ol
The earth's orbit, an it's tail. whatever
It's length may nave been, could no;
approach the earth within many mil
lions of miles. although its appear
tnce In the heavens would be equally
Imposing and magnificent
The present return of the comet
takes place under conditions very sim
liar to hat OF 1856, inasmuch as u
appears a. about the same season o'
the year. and traverses nearly tn
came par of the heavens. But the
present return differs I'm many i'm
portant respects from all preceding az
pearances Of the comet. II approaches