Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-23
vcrtiNFERENcE POSTPONED.
FEAR OF COMETS.

The fear that comet colliding with
pur planet might do injury to the Garth
or its Inhabitants seems to be the last
remnant of a fear that has pervadcd
the minds OF mon from very carly
times.
That many still have apprchensions
of such a catastrophe is not improb-
able. though all rational cause for fear
has long since become untenable. 1t
has been shown that comets are COM
posed of particles SO small OF of gases
in a condition so thin and rarefied that
collision with thcm could not shake or
in any way disturb the physical equi-
Iibrium of the earth; hence the former
dread of such an occurrence has no
reasonable basis. For though these
objects mako a great show In the
heavens. tho portions with which the
earth might collide If IL passed through
them. would be extremely light, and
It seems that nothing whatever in the
way OF physical shock could be exper-
ienced by any kind of collision.
In addition to these conclusions of
astronomers, we have the testimony of
experience. In ITO Levele's comet was
seen TO pass through the satellites of
Jupiter without deranging them In tho
least, while the comet was itself
thrown entirely out OF It's path There
is also reason to believe that on the
2eth of June 1861, the earth remained
several hours in the tail OF a comet
without having experienced the slight
est inconvenience.
The most remarkable case of a popu-
lar panic from the fear of collision
with a comet occurred in Paris, in the
year 177S, when La Lande offered pa
per to the Academy of Sciences. tend
ing to show that a comet was
approaching the earth, and might pos
sibly cause its destruction. AS q comet
was soon due, the people began to get
alarmed. and soon the most dreadful
fears of speedy destruction were every
where disseminated. Some devout peo-
pie urged the archbishop to make a
forty hours prayer in order to avert
the impending calamity. but members
such a proceeding Flammarion re-
lates how, at last NJ. La Lande, "hnd-
ing it impossible to answer all ques-
tions put to him about his fatal memoir
and Wishing to prevent the real evils
that might arise from the frightened
imaginations OF the weak. caused 1t
to be printed, and made 1t as clear as
was possible. When 1t appeared, It was
found that he stated that of the sixty
known comets, there were eight which
could. by coming too near the earth,
say within 10000 miles, occasion such
pressure that the sea would leave it's
bed and cover part of the globe, but
that in any case this could not happen
till after twenty years. This was too
long to make 1t worth while to make
provision for it, and the cffervescence
subsided.''
In 1882 people became similarly ex-
cited in respect to Biela's comet. Dam
oseau had calculated that it would
pass the earth's orbit on the 29th of
October, and the papers, confounding
this crossing OF tho orbit with an in
evitable collision. began to intimate
that the end of the world was at hand
Widespread CONSERVATION reigned until
would be months journey, or sixty
million miles. away from the spot at
which the comet would cross the
earth's path as predicted.
Even as lately at 1872. similar end
OF the world was announced for the
18th of August of that year, based
upon a misconstruction of the words OF
q professor at Geneva about the path
OF a comet.
The thought that the earth might
finally be subjected TO second deluge
from collision has found some support
from the fact that the cool seasons,
autumn and winter, In the southern
hemisphere last longer QS6 days) than
they do in the northern half OF the
globe q79 days). Adliemnr had estI-
mated that the gradual accumulation
OF Ice first at one pole and then at
another dispIaces the earths center OF
gravity about every 10500 years AS
the delugc OF the northern hemisphere
was 1900 years ago. he thought that OF
the south pole will occur in $500 years
from now VIII the center of gravity
then change and cause an immense
deluge? The answer of astronomers il
that IL the center OF gravity shall re-
turn to former point. It Will do Sc
gradually. Just as 1t was displaced
an thus there will be no catastrophe.
The belief that the earth viii b'
destroyed by FIRE was held by ancien
nations; and that 1t Will be baptized in
or renewed. by fire is conclusion from
the words of Scripture. And this oc
currence of the future has been specu
latiyely associated with comet col
lision. That comet collision nigh
poison the earth's atmosphere by com
bining its gas with the air of thi
planet has also been suggested: like
wise that In the course OF millions O
years the earth might fall Into the sun
or that the sun itself Will, In the un
calculably distant future become cold
all these spcculations have been In
dulged in recent times as a sort of di
version with certain astronomers
Tho conclusions of F'lammarion, tn