Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1910-05-17

IalnIeSC SCdrS can De seen through
million miles of its volume.
The next question pertains to the
spectacle. If the transit may prove
invisible, will the plunge through
the tail prove equally so? 1t may,
for in 1919 the earth went through
comets tail without any one know
ing it, and in 1861 it did the same,
though it was remembered after
ward that a strange aurora-like ap-
pearance had been observed at the
time, a certain yellowness of sky.
which was even thought worthy of
record, though its connection with
the comet had not been suspected.
1t is not unlikely thatwe shall have an
experience somewhat like that In
the morning of May Is, before sun
rise, the tail is likely to be seen ex.
tending from the eastern toward
the western horizon. In the even
ing of the 10Th, after sunset, the
tail is likely to be seen extending
from the western toward the eastern
horizon, but later during the night
of the 18th the entire heavens are
likely to be seen carrying a faint
and peculier radiance, due to the
fact that we are immersed hundreds
of thousands of miles in the comets
tail. The chief thing to initiate
against the spectacle will be the
moon, which that night is ten days
old and will not set till 2:45 in the
morning. But inasmuch as the
| peculiar sky radiance in 1861 was
seen even in the daytime we may
hope that fair Luna will be good
enough, since she is generously
granted half the nights of each
month, not to spoil the marvels of so
extraordinary an occasion as this.
When this great day of the comet
has passed it will be seen for some
time, night after night, in the wes-
tern sky after sunset-first at about
its largest, then rapidly growing
smaller as it retreats into the depths
of space and becomes once more in
visible, not again TO charm the eye,
awaken the wonder and stir the awe
of mankind until most of as have
been long forgotten in our humble
graves.
WHERE THE TRANSIT MAY BE SEEN.
This is made possible by remark
able combination of circumstances.
For four months the comet has been
north of the sun. On the very day
that it passes it in going back from
the morning to the evening sky it
also passes south of the sun. This
brings it directly across the suns
face. Prof. See says that this will
take place between z p. m. and / a.
M, eastern time. Prof. Pickering
names 9 p. M, eastern time. as the
hour. Popular Astronomy" says
that 11:19 p. M, eastern time, is the
exact middle of the transit, but that
it lasts in its entirety from 1850 o.
m to l1:48 p. m. The center of the
comets head will pass about four or
five minutes Of arc above the center
of the suns disk, the diameter of the
disk being thirty minutes.
Now it is manifest that, vastly
important as this event is, it will be
entirely invisible to a large part of
humanity by reason of the suns be-
ing below the horizon at the hour
named. France, England, Germany,
Spain and all the eastern part of the
United States will then be in the
shadow of night. Only on our west
ern borders is there hope that the
transit may be witnessed, and in the
Hawaiian Islands there is a much
closer approach to certainty. Prof.
Barnard has estimated that the size
of the comets head as seen from the
earth will be more than sufficient to
cover the suns entire face. 1t would
therefore seem that a remarkable
phenomenon is at hand. very closely
approaching an eclipse in character.
MASS OF METEoRITEs IN ITS HEAD.
So it would be if the comets head
were solid, like the moon;but though
we are convinced that there is solid
..AA... :. - Ioss.o. ...eloll.. - -