Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-21
COMET WHOLE AGAIN
Scurrying Away From Earth
With Its Tail Intact.
PLAINLY SEEN LAST NIGHT
Observations of Head and Append
age Made at Two Ovservatories.
VISIBLE AFTER SUNSET TODAY
Two Theories Have Been Exploded
by Present Visit, Declares Ed
win Fairfax Naulty.

win Fairfax Naulty.
CARNEGIE OBSERVATORY, Mount
Wilson. Cal, May 21.-To scientists at
Carnegie Observatory Halleys comet pre-
sented the appearance of a fan-tailed
pigeon last night.
The comets appendage was spread out
at-the end through several degrees. De-
spite the bright moonlight the tail ap-
peared distinctly. The comet set an hour
and fifty minutes after the SUM-
Director Hale said last nights observa-
tions show that the comet has passed
far beyond the earth and taken it's tail
with it.
Am ARBOR, Mich, May 21.-Prof.
w. ]. Hussey of the University of Michi-
gan Observatory located the head and
tail of Haley's comet last night. The
head, he announced, was in the west,
where it was expected Because of the
lunar brightness but a faint outline OF
the tail could be discerned. Prof. Hus-
sey is of the opinion that the earth has
passed through portion of the tail.
Look for Comet Tonight.
If the promise at noon tOCay is fulfilled
at sunset and the skies are clear, Hal
ley's comet. tail and head, can be seen
in The west as soon as the sun sinks
below the horizon this evening.
There is no doubt that Halley's comet
mas passed the sum-" said Edwin Fair
fax Naulty this morning. That really
happened near scheduled time" he con-
tinued. THE comet. if it be clear. will
be seen with it's head little north OF
west and with it's coma rays extending
up to the zenith.
From the time the sun set Thursday
night until it rose Friday morning the
sky was covered with great rays of light
and cirrus clouds. like gigantic search
light rays, the converging point OF which.
al sunset. was south of the sun in the
west. and which moved through west to
north and then. after midnight, through
north to the eastward. These rays, which
could be plainly seen by everybody, and
which were observed in many other
cities. were the rays of comalight, or the
tail of Halley's comet transitting the
sky. The light cirrus clouds were caused
by the condensation of the vapors in the
upper layers of the earth's atmosphere by
the rays OF light in the tail
"Al the rays which passed through the
zenith were straight. Those that passed
to either side of the zenith were curved
with their concave side toward the over
head point. This was only an appearance
due to the fact that we saw the over
head rays in radius through the convex
transparent shell Of the earths atmos-
phere while the rays on either side of
the zenith. or rather of meridian cut
ting the zenith. appeared to be curved be-
cause they were seen through the curv-
ing dome of the atmosphere. That these
rays presented their concave side to q
great circle drawn through the zenith was
precisely what might have been expected
by any one familiar with the laws Of
optics.
Some Theories Exploded.
1.-The solid particles in the head of the
comet. the gaseous tail theory. the
electrical repulsion of matter theory
have been utterly d;scredited by HALEY S
comet. The transit was observed at
many laces in the eastern hemisphere
and not a trace of solid particles was
found. No explanation of the pheao-
mena of comets now remain that will
fuL.I all requirements of the present
questions but the simplest of all-the
truth that the tails of comets are
nothing but transmitted sunlight, pro-
cessed through space by the gaseous head
of a comet. The curvature of the tail,
as it approached the earth. the curious
band of light seen across the sun Wed
nesday, the sun spots, the great rays of
light sweeping the heaven Thursday
night. the type of clouds they caused to
form in the earths upper atmosphere,
the rays of light noted in Alden Wednes-
it is collected and digested. will prove
absolutely the truth of the hypothesis
advanced last spring
In the limits of popular explanation
it is Impossible to give a complete d.
gestion of and resolution into proof of
this simple premise-the heads, or coma
sphers. of comets are spherical volumes
of gas, in revolution on an axis and in
orbital motion. their tails are con-
denSed solar energy made visible as light
and processed through space, lighting ul
as they change position different layers OF
gases that fill the solar system. and every
phenomenon We see is due to this and
the angle at which. with relation to the
constantly changing position Of the sun
comet and earth, We see these phenom-
ena, there is no apparition of the come,
that cannot be satisfactorily explained.
The Tails Disappearance"
Even the disappearance of the tai
can be thus explained. If you were
standing a distance from searchlight
you could easily see the-~beam agains,
the air. but II you move into the beam OF
the searchlight the beam disappears
and you are then only conscious of a ra.
dance OF light. since you are wholly i'm.
mersed in it.
1T Is disagreeable thing to say I told
you So, but 1t will be recalled that
said in The Star of Wednesday evening
that persons looking for unusual mani.
festations that night would be disap.
pointed and that the expected effects
would not be seen or felt for anothe,
day or so. News from Costa Rica show.
another earthquake there, and within the
next week we shall have many more re-
ports Of tremors and disturbances. The
disturbed meteorological state will con
tinue for some time. To say that al
these coincidental happenings have no i'm
mediate cause merely shows an inabilit,
on the part of doubters to corelate inter.
acting phenomena. Two things are alb.
solutely settled-the solid comet head anf