The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-05-17
SCIENTISTS COME To
SEE THE COMETS TAIL
expedition Travels 10000 Miles to
Observe 1t at Haleiwa on
May 18th.
(Trom saturday,a Advortiser.l

(From Saturdays Advortiser.)
With a complete set of instruments
to take observations of Halley's comet,
Prof. H. G. Lord and E. C. Coddington
arrived yesterday on the Sierra and
are now guests at the Royal Hawaiian
Hotel.
They come expressly to make
scientific record Of the comet in the
one hour during which it crosses the
face of the sun. They viii leave on
the Sierra, June s, and while, as Pro
fessor Lord says, they might do a lit
tie star-gazing,;" they will make no
other observations. The two astrono.
mers come as special expedition from
the Emerson McMillin Observatory of
the Ohio State University. Professor
Lord is the director and professor OF
astronomy of the observatory which
was founded and bears the name of the
man who finances the present expedi.
ton.
The party will go at once to Haleiwa
where the instruments win be set up.
Professor Lord consulted with w. B.
Stockman, "Director Of the Weather.
yesterday and it was on the latter's
advice that Halewa was chosen, as be.
ing the least liable to rainfall on the
day the observations win take place.
The instruments with the party are a
4-inch telescope provided with power.
full astronomical spoctroscope and
Az inch telescope loaned by Campbell
Chittenden Of Columbus and provided
with spectroscope loaned by the
John Fl. Brashear Company of Pitts
burg.
'fThe object of the expedition said
Professor Lord, yesterday, els first to
see il the comet can he seen as it
crosses the SUMS face Secondly to
see if the 14.million-mile of comet tail
through which the sunlight must pass
produces any noticeable effect on sun
| light"
How important these observations
are to the scientific world is shown by
the fact that the expedition will travel
in all 10000 miles to make them. Pre-
| liminary observations of the suns
spectrum. will be made Immediately be.
fore and after the transit.
| The expedition is provided with a
portable dark room designed by PROBES.
sor Bradford of the o. s. u. which can
be set up in ten minutes.
ffNever in my life," said Professor
Lord, "have been treated with the
courtesy and help as on this expedition
and Honolulu has done its share.''
Do Tt Nowi
Professor Donaghho of the College Of
Hawaii gives fair warning to every.
body that if they wait until the comet
gets in the evening sky after the
18th they will not see it at its best
as the moon will be too bright. 1t
should be at its best on the goth if tine
moon does not interfere. Yesterday
morning the comet 3 tail was fully As
degrees in length and was brighter
than it has ever been before. The tail
is absolutely straight which according
to astronomical theory proves it to be
made up of light matter.
Professor Donaghho says he is rather
disappointed in the length of the tail,
which according to his computations
was eight million miles long on May
IL. 1t is now decreasing actually but
seemingly growing larger as it APP
proaehes the earth On May git was the
nearest to Venus, (10,000,000 miles)
but as the orbits of the planet and
comet were far apart the tail of the
comet swung in a different direction.
If there are inhabitants on Venus it is
doubtful IL they could see the heaven.
lily visitor as the atmosphere of the
planet is too dense.
--e.&-s--