The Washington times., 1910-04-08
COMET NOT VISIBLE
TO THE NAKED EYE
Prof. Tondorf Says 1t May
Be Seen May 1 With
Telescope.


ems with the naked eve or with the
opera glass in hopes Of getting a peer
A. the famous and much he-aIded Hal
Iey's comet might as well desist, for il
won't be visible before Nay I, and then
perhaps. only with the assistance Of a
powerful telescope Father Francis a
Tondorf, chief astronomer al George
town University, said so today, and
Father Tondorf has spent many hours
figuring out its erratic COURSE
Notwithstanding the numerous re-
ports 10 the, contrary. the comet has
not been seen By the naked eye since
its last appearance in 1885,, Father Ton
dorf said. And there are several rea,
sons for his For months Il has been
in the East and its bri1liance Is ccliPsed
by the sun, making the comet almost
invisible. Another reason is that the
heaven body is not growing bright
with the Tspidity astronomers have pre-
dicted.
Must Use Telescope
TO-DAY the comet rose about fifty
seven minutes before the sun, and that
puts it at 10 degrees above the horizon
At five hours and thirty-five minutes t
may be possible to see II In six or seven
days with the assistance OF a large and
powerful telescope, but not otherwise Do
Incidentally Father Tondorf told Of
row erroneous was the general impress
sion that fIaIev's comet derived its
name from HALEY because discovered
by him.
This Is not the case the astronomer
said. for the comet was known TO cus
sncisnJS. and Prof Haley died in I7s1-
The resent appearance is the twenty
seventh authenticated time as estab-
hshed by Messrs- CoweH and Crom-
meIin, the first being in s. b c.
There seems little doubt that the his
tory Of the comet might be traced fur
ther back bT means Of the cuneiform
inscriptions OF AszyTia- The shortest
period between the successive periheIiOn
passages has heretofore been Ass lG7-
15>j years. the longest 1887 years Ql5I-
% a d.. These inequalities are due 20
portuberatio1s due TO planetary infue-
ence, especially Jupited and Saturn.
The nearest approach 10 the sun in
this present appearance has been o.
""'o miles, and 10 the earth H. 90, 90. %
No Danger From Gas.
However, On or about Nay % the
earth WI pass through the 1s.coo. Dao-
nile tail attached TO HaTey-s comet,
but they VIII come 20 no harm, accord
ing 10 Father TondCrf- There Is no
possibility Of danger from the poisonous
Eases thrown of by the comet.
Every day We have people coming "a
the university and InquiriuE with tear
fUl voices just how much longer they
have TO live" he said. There IS not The
slightest danger from the gases thrown
Of by the comet. for we are 300 or
seems TO have established II that cvsuo.
gen forms q constituent part OF the tan
Now cyanoEe1 is deadly gas Hl1t
granting that such a gas or other pom
deTable matter elected By the head Of
the comet would be picked Up by the
earth and remain in The atmozDbe-a
This. az that immense distance from the
earLl. should not possibly amount 10 one
uue-hEndred mIlIOntl OF the comet
on the assumption that the whole
comet = equal in mass 10 our arunr-
pneIe the quantity entering the latter
would be less than GJ1BBGT ~ r,1-
cent Chemists admit that even ~
hundred thousand times this would ba
absolutely harmless even IN the case
Of more poisonous gas"
Nnen we pass through the tail on
me ztth Of May. as the above diagram
SHOWS. We may b. treated 10 q SH0p-s7
Of meteorlc particles Of gentle tsIspOsi-
ton
A Famous astronomer. Prof RenauEof
Of Paris, Father TOnGorf said. suggests
That the perodicIty Of COmctary bodies
vas fully established ana recr gfiz-,l
hE the ancient Hebrews Prof Rerar-
DOT fancleS he has proof OF this IN g
passage from the TaimUd, in which
ore OF two usviSstors ALLEGES his reason
for laying In a stock Of -four instead OF
bread for there IS very bright star
which appears ever seventy years. and
which deCelveS 0aViEatOrs- FretfuI lest
she may surprise us during our trip.
ana thereby delaying the voyage, I have
provided the -four
RenaUdOt couples the seventy years
mentioned by this ancient with the per
iod Of HalleyS comet. which Is seventy
h--e years. by claiming that with the
ancients II was custom TO offer round
Numbers only.
other superstitiCus are that when we
pass through the great and lengthy
tail OF the celestial wonder q shower ~
meat will greet US Father TOuCo-f
was not a-erse 10 saying this would he
= GOOD way 10 bust me Beef trust