The Hattiesburg news., 1910-07-16
ON COMETS
Interesting Facts That Were Un-
earthed by Bill Nye.
HIS STUDY OF SKY SCIENCE.

The Humorist's Researches Shed a
Flood Of Brilliant Light Upon the
Peculiar Traits of the Astronomical
Parodies on tho Planets"
The famous American humorist, Bill
Nye, wrote the following article on the
traits of comets for the San Francisco
Argonaut, In which it was published
a number of years ago:
The comet is kind Of astronomical
parody on the planet. Comets look
some like planets. but they are thin
per and do not hurt so hard when they
bit anybody as planet does. The
comet was so called because it had
hair on 1t. believe, but of late years
the baldheaded comet is giving just
as good satisfaction everywhere.
The characteristic features of the
comet are a nucleus. nebulous light
or coma and usually n luminous train
or tail worn high. Somri !rrS several
tails are observed on o;n wurt. hut
this occurs only In flush lines,
When was young USED to think
1 WOulu IlhC W DC Il IOihCt III tht bbs
up above the world SO high. with
nothing to do but loaf around and play
with the little new laid planets and
have a good time, but now l can see
where was wrong. Comets also
have their troubles. their perihelions.
their hyperbolas and their paraboIas A
little over 300 years ago Tycho Brahe
discovered that comets were extrane-
GUS to our atmosphere. and since then
times have improved. l can see that
trade is steadier and potatoes run less
to tops than they did before.
Soon after that they discovered that
comets all had more or less periodici-
ty. Nobody knows how they get 1t.
All the astronomers had been watch
ing them day and night and didn't
know when they were exposed, but
there was no time to talk and argue
over the question. There were 200 or
300 comets all down with 1t at once
1t was an exciting time.
Comets sometimes live to great
age This shows that the night air is
not so injurious to the health as many
people would have us believe. The
great comet of 1880 is supposed to
have been the one that was noticed
about the time of Caesars death. A
B. c., and still when it appeared in
Newton's time. 1,7OO years after its
first grand farewell tour. Ike said that
1t was very well preserved indeed and
seemed to have retained all its facul-
ties in good shape.
A late writer on astronomy said that
the substance of the nebulosity and
the tail is Of almost inconceivable
tenuity. He said this. and then death
came to his relief.
Another writer says of the comet and
Its tail that the curvature Of the lat
ter and the acceleration of the periodic
time in the case of Encke's comet in
dicate their being affected by resist
ing medium which has never been OBJ
served to have the slightest influence
on the planetary periods"
l do not fully agree with the emf
nent authority, though he may be
right. Much fear has been the result
of the comets appearance ever since
the world began, and it is as good
thing to worry about as anything /
know of. If we could get close to a
comet without frightening 1t away we
would find that we could walk through
1t anywhere as we could through the
glare of torchlight procession. We
should so live that we will not be
ashamed to look a comet in the eye,
however. Let us pay up our newspa-
per subscription and lead such lives
that when the comet strikes we will be
ready
Some worry a good deal about the
chances for big comet to plow into
the sun some dark. rainy night and
thus bust up the whole universe.
wish that was all had to worry
about-the comets crashing into the
sun and knocking its daylights out.
There is much in the great field of
astronomy that is discouraging to the
savant who hasn't the time or means
to rummage through the heavens. at
times l am almost hopeless and feel
like saying to the great, yearnful, hun
cry world:
"Grope on forever. Do not ask me
for another scientific fact. Find it out
yourself. Hunt up your own new laid
planets and let me have a rest. Never
ask me again to sit up all night and