Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-12

VuSons. shooting out liNfd streams or
matter with Voca ME force.
Nor is the possibility considered of its
head grazing our atmosphere by a few
thousand miles. That would he another
fatal adventure. During the few minutes
il would occupy i'm passing the heavens
the surface of tine earth beneath would
he swept by fire. the oceans would rise IL
meet the clouds. accompanied by the
debris Of forests, ports and cities As the
comet receded an immense tidal wave
would follow in its wake, u bury the
burning land In water.
The plain facts are palpitating enough.
According 10 Fiammarion's preliminary
calculations TIalley's comet ought -
are still uniquely close: but. all the same.
We shall have cut across that danger spot
ahead Of him about May =.
The really critical date is in between.
During eighteen days after we have
usit that point of intersection the curve
which takes us away from the comet :
orbit nevertheless continues 10 bring ~
slightly nearer 10 the down hearing
daShing on uS-hoiiug and churnuG from
its recent scathing round the slln-tai
front. scorching. blasting like hell on :
joy ride,
indicated by arrows II Will. therefore
~ easy 10 realize our extraordinary sit
uation May Is.
The earth. swinging oft from The point
OF intersection. and the comet. swinging
in toward the point Of intersection find
themselves on straight line with the
sun. about which both turn in opposite
directions Halley's comet for the first
time in history. will he directly between
IFS and the sun. at distance OF only -
1spCGN miles from MS.
Such will lie the distance of that white
hot head. as big forty-four earths, but
its tail will be pointing straight at US.
And according to Andre. that tail will
bc e., oloGoo miles long
The rest is plain subtraction Fourteen
from sixty-five. we shall he in IT mp To
the neck. Or. rather, say, nj To lis
waist or shoulders
Every one knows what happens to
comet going round the sun. It arrives
head first. hut violent gale OF lsht
Iours forever out ~ the sun, equal 10
1"UCn horsepower per square foot. n
der its terrific scorchinG blast the comets
head bo;ls. throwing vast volumes "f gas
into the coma and damnable molten
Jumps into the tail. and as 1t swings
round the sun and recedes II has the
light gale at its back. IT blows the tail
right over tho comets head-and 90 II
rIshes off into space. tail first, ike
locomotives searchlight.
The sun will blow this searchliEht
straight AT lis May Is. when the head
of Halley's comet is directly between us
7aooo.NNl miles from the sun and only
14.oto.GD miles from the earth. IL Will
blow on us and away past US
On that day, w1en we are in line. the
sun will really be eclipsed by the comet.
Those of ms the proper side of the
world VIII see unknown Sight-a comet
from the inside. 1t will be altogether
different from the same comet seen the
day before after. and Andre warns
Parisians: You must not be astonished
if II shows an aspect strange and
stranger than anything heretofore seen.
On MAY - the comet will be still nearer
To us-before we part, each going in an
opposite sense: but the sun Will then
be blowing its tail to one side Of us again.
What will it blow on US? Our cutting
across 3.OaD miles of the filmy tail-corner
of Tebbetts comet occupied only a trifie
more than one minute, supposing Teh-
belts to have had Halleys speed In
that minute Tebbett, at Sidney, and the
French astronomer, En-. Liais. at Rio de
Janeiro. saw the sky turn red in mid
day, changing to a phosphorescent livid