The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-05-15

sketches made by astronomers who OBJ
served the phenomena.
The opportunity to photograph this
month. however. viii be unusual as it
VIII De only 10000 miles from the
earth May IS. 1t will cross the suns
disk during the afternoon. and will be
visible in the west shortly after sun
set for several days later. finally pass
ing out Of sight on its long journey
away from the sun.
What Will Happen.
What will happen when we pass
through the tail of the comet? Accord
ing to the information furnished by the
leading astronomers there is nothing to
be feared At this time the tail will
be about fifteen million miles long. and
the head of the comet viii be 1900, 900
miles away from the earth The tail is
said TO be made OF thin, harmless gases.
much lighter than the air we breathe,
ana IL Is very probable that it viii not
be noticeable. As the contact will
take place in the afternoon, it will Ger
tainly not be noticeable on this side OF
the earth, where it will be broad day
light, and as the other side of the earth
will be screened from a direct en-
counter, II VIII probably not be seen
there. As the comets tail extends mill
lions Of miles beyond the earth. how
ever, 1t is extremely likely that the in
habitants OF the Antipodes may see
some evidence of II in the night sky.
Were the earth and the head of the
comet TO come in contact, however, it
would be more serious, but there is no
likelihood of this, as the earth will have
safely passed that point in its orbit
by the time the comet reaches it.
OF all the comets which have
appeared from time to time, Halleys is
the most interesting, and is the oldest
one Of which We have any record. its
appearance being recorded as early as
L 3. g Unlike other comets this
heavenly traveller has a closed orbit. of
,1e.4sa
SeVenty-five years The discovery of
this fact was responsible for its name
It was in 1852 that Edmund HALEY. an
Englishman made the announcement
that comets move ia closed orbits.
When he had satisfied himself as TO
his discovery, he announced that the
comet would appear in the latter part
of 1853 or the beginning, of 1883 Al
though he had been dead a number of
years. the astronomical world awaited
with considerable curiosity the result
of his prediction. and when the bril-
liant body lit up the heavens on Christ
mas, 1888, it was Immediately chris
tened with Halley's name. 1t appeared
next in 1893.
a Mysterious Visitor.
On its present trip the mysterious
visitor was first sighted September II,
last Max Wolf Heidelberg, who in de
veloping photographs of the heavens,
noticed the strange speck on the mega
tive, smaller than most of the stars.
What attracted his attention. was the
swift movement OF the body for it was
not in the same position on any two
negatives At this time it was travel
ing at the rate of more than 1000 miles
a minute on its journey toward the sun
On September 16 Professor E. E. Bar
nard caught sight of the comet with
the 40-inch YeTkes telescope, and since
that time many photographs have been
made of it, but on account of its great
distance. they have been very indis-
tinct During the early part Of the
year the comet was invisible, being on
the opposite side OF the sun from the
earth It had then reached its peri
helion and started ON its journey out
ward, drawing nearer the earth every
day This will continue until May IS
when it will pass between the earth
and the sun, and a short time later viii
cross the earth's orbit and disappear
into the great unknown. not to be seen
again for another generation
One of the curious facts about the
comet is that as it approaches the sun,
il trails its immense tail after it in its
mad pace through the heavens. As 1t
gets nearer the sun, the tail gradually
always staying on the side
Of the comet opposite the sun. When it
reaches its perhelion. it has scarcely