The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-05-12
ABOUT TAIL OF COM
EFT BRUSHING THE EARTH.
Caudal Appendage of Celestial Lum-
mary is Extremely TenuOuS

81 BRUSHING THE EARTH.
Caudal Appendage of Celestial Lum.
mary is Extremely Tenuous.
The one object in the heavens
which is now the center of interest is
Halley's comet, which is now plainly
visible to the naked eye. Although
the comet is not very bright the tail
is plainly visible. 1t will continue to
grow IN brightness until on May 10,
when it will be seven thousand times
brighter than it was in September.
From now until May Is the comet
Will pass directly between the earth
and sun, and observers in the islands
or the Pacific ocean will have an op-
portunity to view it's transit across
the suns disk. This is a most rare
spectacle, which may not be pre-
sented again for many centuries. 1t
is hoped that from the observations
OF this phenomenon scientists may
obtain more definite knowledge of the
composition OF the denser parts of
comets than they now possess.
1T is well known that the tails of
comets, which sometimes stretch out
into space for distances of many
millions of miles, are almost incon-
ceivable tenuous. The head is very
much denser and it is believed to be
composed of a great swarm of mete-
ORIG particles, mingled with cosmic
dust and gases. 1t is not thought
that there is any definite solid nu-
cleus in the head of any conceivable
size, and nothing is now known as
to the size of the individual ,meteo-
rlc masses which compose it. But
since at the time of the comets tran
SIT 1t will be only one-sev,nth as far
away from the earth as the sun, the
Individual particles, even if they are
no more than ten miles in diameter.
Will be clearly visible as little black
dots moving over the face of the
sun. If there are larger masses of
solid matter in the comet they will,
of course, be still more conspicuous.
AS the center of the comets head
moves onto the suns disk on May IS
at 10 hours SO minutes p. N. (eas:-
ern time), and passes off from it at
IL hours 48 minutes it can, of course
not be seen by observers in Europe
or America, since to them the sun
will have set at this time. During
these hours the earth will pass
through the great tail which extends
for many million miles in a direc-
ton directly opposite the sun, and it
is possible that some evidence of this
passage will be seen by US. It is i'm
possible to predict whether the tail
will be visible at this time or not.
II it is sufficiently bright and the
night is very clear people may see
the long streamers, resembling the
rays OF the Aurora, extending up
from the ground toward the north
east in the early evening. AS the
hours of the night go on these should
sweep slowly over the heavens in the
north, shifting their positions toward
the west. 1t may be possible to trace
the tail across the entire heavens;
on the other hand it may be visible
only as faint glow, or may even be
SO faint as to escape detection alto
gether. 1t has been recently increas-
ing. 80 rapidly in size and brightness,
however, that it is hoped that this
latter may not be the case 1t is,
perhaps, unnecessary to add that the
earth will not be in the least affected
by this encounter, and also that the
sensational statement in some papers
as to the influence of the comet on
the world are utterly without found
alton. The sight of this beautiful OBJ
ject, as it moves along its appoint
ed path, in exact accordance with
the predictions of astronomers,
should only impress upon each OBJ
server anew the wonderful harmony
OF the laws which govern all the
celestial bodies in their courses.
From the evening of May 10, to
the end of the month the comet will
be SO conspicuous in the evening sky
that it will attract the atten-
ton of every one. In these few days
it will move half way across the en-
tire heavens, as passing a little be-
low Mars and above the bright star.
Its head will point toward the ground
In the west and it's tail extend up
ward among the stars. AS it moves
westward and recedes from the earth
1T will grow rapidly fainter, and in
few months will be lost TO view on