The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-06-16
ON COMETS
resting Facts That Were Un-
earthed by Bin Nye.
STUDY OF SKY SCIENCE.

umorsst's Researches Shed /.
- 81 Brilliant LIGHT Upon IN.
'a'iar Traits Of the "Astronomje.l
nrediss on the Planets"
e famous American humorist. Bill
wrote the following article on the
"a comets for the San Francisco
on.ut IN which it was published
umber Of years ago:
ne comet 10 o kind Of astronomical
ody on the planet. Comets look
e IKE planets. but they are thin
and do not hurt so hard when they
anybody as planet does. The
es was SO called because it had
on II ! believe. but of late years
paidneaded comet is giving Just
good satisfaction everywhere.
Hhe characteristic features of the
mef are nucleus. nebulous light
coma and usually luminous train
TAI worn high. Sonirr' ,,.s several
1is are observed on ui mel. but
- occurs only In flush times
Wnen was young used to think
would like to be comet in the sky.
~ above the world so nigh. with
7othing to do but loaf around and play
nth the little new laid planets and
ave q good time, but now | can see
where ! was wrong. Comets also
Ave their troubles. their perihelions.
oeir hyperbolas and their parabolas. A
title over 300 years ago Tycho Brahe
uncovered that comets were extrane-
ms to our atmosphere. and since then
INES have improved. can see that
1ade IL steadier and potatoes run less
% tops than they did before.
Soon after that they discovered that
6mets all had more or less periodici.
VI Nobody knows how they get it.
I'd the astronomers had been watch
ng them day and night and didn't
NOW when they we're exposed. but
here was no time to talk and argue
|ver the question. There were 200 or
100 comets all down with It at once
( was an exciting time
Comets sometimes live TO great
&c. This shows that the night air is
lot so Injurious to the health as many |
eople would have us believe. The |
reat comet of 1880 is supposed to |
ave been the. one that was noticed |
bout the time of Caesars death, A |
: O., and still when 1t appeared in
Iewton's time. LOO years after its |
rst grand farewell tour. Ike said that
was very well preserved indeed and
0emed to have retained all its facul-
es In good shape.
A late writer on astronomy said that
be substance Of the nebulosity and
be tail 10 of almost inconceivable
snuity. He said this. and then death
lme to his relief.
Another writer says of the comet and
, tail that the curvature of the lat
" and the acceleration of the periodic
me In the case of Encke's comet in
lcate their being affected by resist
q medium which has never been OBJ
srved to have the slightest influence
D the planetary periods"
do not fully agree with the emf
ent authority. though he may be
ght. Much fear has been the result
the comets appearance ever since
he world began, and It Is as good a
hing to worry about as anything j
now of. If we could get close to a
omet without frightening 1t away we
'ould find that we could walk through
anywhere as we could through the
lare of torchlight procession. We
houid SO live that we will not be
shamed to look a comet In the eye,
owever. Let us pay up our newspa-
or subscription and lead such lives
,at when the comet strikes we will be
lady.
Some worry a good deal about the
hances for big comet to pillow into
he sun some dark. rainy night and
lus bust up the whole universe.
1sh that was all | had to worry
bout-the comets crashing into the
In and knocking Its dayIights out. !
There Is much In the great field of
stropCmy that is discouraging to the !.
want who hasn't the time or means
} rummage through the heavens. At
mes | am almost hopeless and feel
ke saying to the great. yearnful. hun
y world: y
r another scientific fact. Find 1t out
,urself. Hunt up your own new laid =
anets and let me have a rest. Never
X me again to SIT up all night and
he care of the newborn world while
u lie in bed and reck not"