Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-05-16
BliIEE HISTORY OF MOST
FAMOUS NNGABOND or SKIES

The word comet is derived from the
Latin word conn. meaning hair
Comets are the trampS ana VagabondS
of the skies. Many of them come to
us from the depths Of space. pass
through our solar system. and out OF
II again, neVermore to return to us.
Others again by the attraction Of the
sun and the planets, are bent from
their course, and once cantured by
the iron law Of gravitation they be-
come permanent members of the
system and move round the sun i'm
orbits more or less eccentric To the
after class belongs the comet that is
now with terrific speed approaching
the earth--the comet called "Halleys $
comet. This now famous comet has
been identified as having appeared
twenty -four times since the year b. c
~ The comet has period of IS
wears and its orbit reaches far
out beyond the outermost edge OF the
solar system. far beyond the planet
Neptune. The comet obtained its
uanle in tiiiss Ms,s. halley observed
the comet upon It's appearance in
1852. He then set himself to the
gigantic task Of calculating its period.
Tracing it bach to = Il. {. and fixing
its period at &c wears, he staked his
professional reputation that the comet
would return IN the Year 1868 in these
memorial words Wherefore if IT
should return, according 10 my pre-
dicti0n. in the year 1853, impartial
posterity viii not refuse 10 acknowl-
edge that it was discovered by an
Englishman. Sure enough the
comet appeared ON time. on Christ
mas day l15S. and since then it has
been known as "Halley's comet"
\ comet consists of brilliant nu-
cleus or head, which extends back
ward i'm the form OF Il tail or train.
The head has an undetermined
amount of sOlidity The tail consists
of swarm of solid particles Of un-
known size These particles are sur
rounded bY gaseous envelopes, and
the special light of the comet is pro-
duced by electrical discharges between
the PARTICLES, the action being due to
the Influence of the sun. The solid
PARTICLES Of which the tail is composed
must le widely distributed because
the faintest stars may be seen through
the train Some astronomer has
called a comet ''an Illuminated sand
bank"
The close approach Of Halleys
comet to the earth upon this visit
raises the practical question--HoW
" ould il be possible for comet to
hurt us? II there should be a head
on collision between the earth and
the more on less solid head Of a comet.
il would doubtless mean disaster to
he earth and the inhabiters thereof
# comet should fall into the sun II
would depend upon the amount of
solid matter in the body whether the I
of the sun would be
2ised sufficiently to injure us There I
remains Che third possibility of dis I
lstcr. viz. the earth passing through I
ne tail of a comet. ana as a matter of /
act the earth viii probably pass |
through the tail of Halley's comet /
Wednesday or Thursday of this week. (
'omcts streamers are always tGrned (
lway from the sun. About the 18th \
VI MAY, providing the streamcr +
# the comet is something over 10. ,
100000 of miles in length it viii in-
ercept the path of the earth and We
han dash through il. We do not
,now how long it will take To make
he Journey because we do not know
he diameter of the train. but in any
vent wC may safely assume that IL I
viii require several hours Nov \
wherein lies the danger if any II /
he train of the comet is composed of /
lin heads of matter separated by wide I,
they viii be consumed by 4
ne friction of the atmosphere and \
lisplaN of shooting stars. should
here be large masses of matter in the
all, and should huge red-hot stones
ONE crashing down upon the earth
hen. indeed there would be a bonn
.ardment from celestial artillerA.
iut | take il what concerns us most Is
he sinister suggestion made by some
stronomers. Flammarion for instance.
hat the cyanogen gas involved IN
he tail Of Halleys comet combining
'ith our atmosphere may work ter
ihle mischief to life upon this earth
but Professor Pickering of HarVard's E
stronomical department. assures us
hat there is not the slightest danger
, life upon the earth from gas in the
on'ct's tail. because The gas is far
Jo rarified to affect us disastrouslA
-; drop of nrussic acid i'm hogs
cad of water. the poison is there, but
be- dilution T. SO high that YOU may I
rink the water with perfect safety
he gas is in the tail of the comet,
mt il j. So attenuated that IL cannot .
'ork Us any harm should some OF IL
Jingle with our atmosphere. and
len. moreover. the universr is not
onducted upon this fashion of chance
nd waste. We may assume with all
& fCoufintleu ON Ia.t. Column ~