The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-05-19
COMET WAS LATE
Earth Did Not Pass Through
the Tail Yesterday.
Astronomers Are Unable to EX-
plain the Failure.
BEHIND ITS SCHEDULE
Programme for Yesterday Is
Being Carried Out Today.
Fulfilled Its Engagement With
the Sun All Right.

| w IA1dIUS Bay, w Is, May 1S--SldE-
| tering all scientific calculations and
| completely puzzling astronomers, she
glowing tail of Halley's comet appeared
in the eastern sky today at a time
when the worlds comet authorities had
| agreed it would be in the west
Such eminent astronomers as Prof. s.
A Mitchell. OF Columbia university,
New York; Prof. Edwin B. Frost, head
Of the Yerkes observatory staff, and
Prof. Edward Barnard OF the Univer-
sity of Chicago. all agree that the light
| they saw in the east was the comets
t tail No adequate explanation, how
i ever, IS forthcoming.
/ Prof Mitchell, Prof Frost and Prof.
Barnard say that any Of the following
three explanations may be right:
I First-The curvature of the comets
/ tail. first discovered and noted by Prof.
| Barnard on Tuesday night, may have
| developed TO a wholly unexpected de-
gree, while the head of the comet has
| passed the earth on schedule.
| Second-Like Borelus comet of 1903.
| HalIey's comet may have ceased its
tail-making activity, cutting OF the
| glowing fan that is now puZzling the
| scientists.
Third-It is possible that all calcula-
| tions are wrong and that the comet
| has not yet passed the earth As nearly
| as could be computed the period OF the
| appearance Of the comets tail extended
from 1880 o'clock Wednesday night TO
$50 O'Clock this morning. It was still
/ plainly visible at a time when the as
! tronomers were confident the earth
would have passed completely through
| the tail
After leaving his telescope at day
| break, Prof. Frost issued the following
| statement:
Greater than all the theories and all
| the computations are the facts Aud
| the fact is that the tail Of Haley
| comet has been appearing in the east
! in practically the same position as II
| appeared yesterday morning There IS
no question about that The tail which
/ giowed from the horizon close to the
| milky way from before midnight until
dawn has not yet passed across the
earth. That is a certainty In addi-
ticn II is also certain that there is no
material dirninution in the size OF this
tail as compared with the tail of the
day before
! 1--WE are confident that the caIcula-
| tions for the passage OF the head Of the
/ comet between the sun and the earth
are correct. UnquestiOned astron-
| onica1 authorities, working independ-
entity of each other in all parts of the
| which have been corrected in detail
| ever since the comet passed Venus on
May +s.. .,o had
1
schedule. But the mystery Of the ap-
pearance of the tail in the east this
morning is the great puzzle. It can
not be explained satisfactorily at this
time"
Behind Its Schedule.
Princeton, y. J., May 19.-The earth
| did not plunge through the tail Of the
| comet at the time scheduled by astron-
| omers, according to Prof. Henry Norris
Russell OF Princeton and Zaccheus Dan
| ieI. the discoverer Of three comets, but
| was several hours late in making the
| Journey. This failure of the comet to
| be on time, they said today, was due
| TO the fact that the tail had developed
| a pronounced curve and II was long
| after sunup in this section of the
country before the passage of the earth
| through the comets appendage-
Prof Russell at 2:45 a m, noticed
distinct streak of light in the east that
| resembled the milky way He then
had not passed through the comets
tail. because the tail was curved away
| from US and that the sun would be
| well above the horizon when the pas
sage was made At that time he said
/ the head of the comet had passed the
other side Of the sun. Shortly after 8
! D. m the light in the east disappeared
and Prof Russell said it was possible
for the inhabitants Of Hawaii and pos
/ S1OlV the astronomers at LICK OOSerEa-
| tory in California to detect in the dark
ness the passage of the earth through
the tail
/ Prof. Russell added that the reason
why most astronomers had not been
| able to tell that She tail was curved
was because they had been looking at
| the tail edgewise.
Mr.. Daniel said today that he also
noticed the light in the east shortly
| before 3 g. m and also suggested thar
4 - T-aI zaI %T-o
| tail of the comet because of the curva-
| ture of the appendage- He expressed
! the belief that the passing of the earth
| through the tail would make the curve
more pronounced
| The time at which the earth made
| the passage, he said, could not be as
/ certained at Princeton because The
| arch of the curve was not known there
Mr.. Daniel explained that it was not
unusual for comet tails to be curved
and called attention to the fact that
| the comet Of January, 1910, had a dis
| tinct curved tail
May Miss 1t Entirely.
johannesburg, May 19.-According
to the observations made at the
| Ira nsyaaI observatory of which P T
A Innes is the director the earth had
not traversed the tail OF HaIIey's comet
at dawn today. The tail was still north
of the ecIDtic and at the observatory
it was thought probable that the earth
Of it.
Balloon Trip a Failure.
/ St Louis. Mo-, May 19-Fraurht
| with mundane excitement but not
eventfuI astronomicaIIy. the balloon
expedition to explore the tail of Hal
Iey's comet which began here last
night at 6:35 o'clock ended near Hill
/ View, Greene county, Ill. at 1880
o'clock The aerostat travelled 65
miles.
Prof. George o. James of Washing