The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-21
COMET VISIBLE TO
THE NAKED EYE
Professors at University of
Utah, Without Using TeIe-
scope, See Wanderer.
LOOKS MUCH LIKE STAR
TAIL CAN BE DIscERNED ONLY
BY CLOSE EXAMINATION.

II ALLEYS comet was seen with the
/ i naked eye from Salt Lake yes
terday morning at 4:43 o'clock from the
University of Utah campus by Profess
sor ]. L. Gibson and Professor I. Ar
noldson. After the professors had seen
il with unaided eyes. they focused a
three-inch telescope on the sidereal
wanderer. 1t rose degrees south OF
the point where the sun rises. To per
sons looking for the comet, this point
would be about two-thlrds OF the dis
lance from the peak on top OF Red
Butte canyon to the gully formed by
the Emigration canyon. Professor j.
i. Gibson said:
s-rhA comet first came into view as
1t rose over the hill at 4:43 o'clock, about
? degrees south of where the sun rises.
The comet was about as bright as a star
of the third magnitude, and looks very
similar to a star. 1t rose at almost the
same time as the star Gamma Pegasl.
These two bodies are of about the same
brightness. The comet, however, was
a few degrees south Of the star Gamma
Pegasi. near the star Omega Piscum.
At the first view when looking directly
toward the comet the tail could not be
seen. but by looking to one SIDE the
tail could be plainly made out. The
nebuIosity around the head of the comet
could also be plainly seen The comet
was seen distinctly at 4.45 o'clock.
After it came plainly into view it was
followed with the telescope for a half
hour.
"As ii seems to approach the sun, it
will rise nearly at the same time as the
sun. While it appears to approach the
sun 1t in reality does not, as 1t is now
as near the sun as it viii get for the
next seventy-fiVe years. II viii now
begin to travel away from the sun.
With the aid of a telescope the comet
was seen several months ago, but so
far as ] know this is the first time it
has been seen with the naked eye. The
comet has just passed its perihelion.
This is the point where in this part Of
the country il is nearest the sun.
The tail of a comet is a streamer of
bright light. AS the comet approaches
the sun the tail follows it like smoke
from locomotive. AS the comet goes
away from the sun the tail precedes il
instead of following it. The tail is al
ways directed away from the sun. The
volume of a comet is often enormous,
sometimes reaching as high as 100000
miles in diameter. Most Of this great
volume, however, is composed of burn
ing gases L ub ACTUAL ubilSlly u I1di-
ley's comet. if compact. would be about
that of an iron BAH 100 miles in diam
eter.
The tail of Halley's comet has been
traced for a distance Of Pc degrees, or
about five moon diameters. The speed
of the comet is rapidly increasing, and
on May 10 it will be sailing through
space at the rate Of 1873 miles per min
ute as it starts on its return trip be-
yOnd the orbit of Neptune. more than
275000,00O miles out into space. When
the wanderer passes the earth on May
is its speed will be a little slower, il
then Keeling of miles at the rate of ] 300
per minute. This is a little more than
the velocity of the EARTH. travelling at
the rate of lilo miles per minute"