The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-05-19

By Professor Harold Jacoby. Ruth
 erford, Professor of Astronomy at
 Columbia University.)
 New York, May 1s.-The fact that I the comets tail was not visible at the time of its contact with the earth which is now past must be regarded as a vindication for the general be- lief of astronomers that the tan Is so thin that it's presence is undetect- able. The wonder of the comet then becomes, why such an attenuated body can be seen when off in distant ! space
 After comparing the prints of the I comet made in 1885 with observations made during the last few days it seems that there is little. change in | the comets appearance. And that brings us an interesting question about that abnormally long tail. If the comet is speeding it score out into that f1lmy veil all the way through '. it journey 1t is hard to figure how it has lasted as long as it has with it's many periodic returns, never material ! ly more inspiring than the present.
 As we figure from that and other . data about 1t, it is quite probable the comets grow tails only within this particular solar system. It is pos sible to imagine a tailless comet off in space on the far end of it's orbit. When we first locate them they are only a blur. Then appears the tail. Then the tail begins to grow increas- ing constantly as the sun is approach ed Maybe, then, the sun makes the tail by making the comets head boil with its heat or driving the particles off by friction of its rays.
 priprefnn NJ ' Nav 1q-The earth did not begin to pass through the tail of Halley's comet until eight o'clock this morning according to Professor P. Norris Russell. professor of astronomy at Princeton University. 'The reason is that the comet took a curve" said the professor. ''this caused the tail to swing to the east and consequently we didn't strike it at the expected time. I saw in the eastern sky at o'clock a band which proved to be the end of the tail. Although the head of the comet had passed the sun for four hours the tail was tardy.
 'The reason for the curve is that the end of the tail is travelling only at the same velocity as the head of the comet. If it were straight 1t would have to travel with less velocity. Be- cause of daylight we were unable to observe the passage through the tail here.''
 Boston, May 19-One lonely meteor observed at 2:49 o'clock this morning was the only trace discovered by comet watchers on guard here while old Mother Earth swept through the tail of Halley'S comet. Samuel Catteral of Harvard saw the meteor directly over the Big Dipper as it went from north to south. Harvard's whole force of sky gaZers were on watch last night at the time it was calculated the earth would pass through the comets tail but no trace of the celestial wan derer could be seen.
 Professor Pickering and most of his assistants left his observatory at 1:30 o'clock this morning, declaring their watch was over. The tail, they said, could not be seen.
 New Haven, May 19-''Rather dis appointing" is the way our trip through the tail of Halley's comet is expressed today by assistants at Yale observa- tory By this it was meant that there was nothing in the eaTth's dip through the comets tail that either startled the eye or aroused the imagination.
 But we rather expected 1t to be a tame affair" said a sleepy-eyed as- sistant today. Of course we thought there would be ifluminations of some kind and perhaps fall of meteors.''
 The most prominent comet seen in New Haven last night was in the per- son of husky Yale student from the Sheffield scientific school WhO at tired in blazing colors to represent constellation, paraded over the cam pt1s at the head of some 300 other stu dents. The leader called himself the comets head" while the gang was the tail. though its length did not ex- ceed 300 yards
 washington, May 19-The capital was .,repared to greet the comets tail with all the ceremony possible. The streets uvsre filled nearly all night with star eazers and every available roof held fts own particular comet party. Hun