The daily sentinel., 1910-05-17
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there was a shower OF meteors He
advances his theory with the same
calmness that he would prophesy
shower of rain.
Others, and they appear in the ma
iority. expect no disturbances.
Comets Tail Condensed Sunlight.
Edwin +. Naulty of New York
takes issue with Prof Hall and con
tends that the tail OF the comet Is
composed neither of gas nor of mete
oric bodies, and that such a shower
as Prof. Hall deems possible could not
follow.
The tail of Halley's comet, to all
intents and purposes, is q celestial
searchlight,' says Mr.. Naulty. THE
tail is nothing more than sunlight
condensed from radiant solar energy
and processed through the solar sys-
TEN. precisely as a lens focuses. con-
denses and transmits light"
| He says that the tail of the comet
is not composed of gas or of minute
/ particles of matter, or of meteoric
/ bodies.
The entire solar system, Mr.. Naul-
ty says, is filled with gases in verying
states of density All these gases,
poisonous and non-poisonous, are
present in the earth's atmosphere in
dense form.
New Theory of What Tail Is.
| The changing spectrum of Halley's
comet, according to Mr.. Naulty's the
ory, is due to the fact that, as the
comets great tail OF light sweeps
through various parts of the solar
| system, 1t lights up different layers
of gases, conveying the impression
that the tail itself is gaseous Mr.
Naulty gays the spectrum of reflected
sunlight is always present in head
| and tail of the comet. thus proving
| that both parts of it are made visi-
BILE by sunlight alone
The sweeping of this cometary
cone of solar force does cause dis
| turbance in the solar system" said
Mr.. Naulty. THE earth and all the
planets are affected, not only when
they come within the actual cone, as
the earth will do on Wednesday, but
also by the ethereal waves set in mo-
| tion by the comets tail II is the
constant attempt of the earth's s mass
and its atmosphere to adjust them
selves to this disturbance that has
caused the prevalent earth tremors,
storms ana other phenomena.
Atmosphere Will Shield Earth.
The climax will be reached this
| week. There will be no collision of
the earth and comet; nor will the
earth be enyeloped in poisonous gas
es. The effect of the passage may be
to cause great condensation of atmos-
lpheric vapors, so that automatically
the earth will be provided with a
| sort of shield which will act like a
lead screen used to protect X-ray op-
orators"
When the comet approaches near
est to the earth tomorrow the moon
will be full and the conflict of her
rays will make observa tions of the
comet more difficult than would be
the case If there were no opposition
At the Naval observatory the sci
entists have been watching the comet
through powerful telescopes every
morning just before sunrise, when it
is brightest. The observers each day
have noted the broadening of the tail
and the enlargement of the head
The heavenly body will increase in
apparent size and brilliancy until to-
morrow, when 1t will begin to de-
crease and in a few weeks will dis
appear into space, not to be seen
again for nearly a century.
Air May Show Brightness.
Leon Campbell, one of the Harvard