The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-05-11
Comet BRIGHTEST
|. JUST BEFORE Dawn
Best Time to View Wanderer Is
Sis a. m, Says Lick OBJ
servatory Director
Appears Over Eastern Horizon
and May Be Seen With the
Naked Eye

SAN JOSE. May 10.-Director Camp
bell of the Lick observatory today is
sued the following statement:
HaIley's comet is the most con-
spicuous comet since that of Sep
tember and October, 1882. and the
chances are good that in few days
it will surpass in apparent size
the great comet of 1882.
Astronomer Curtis photographed
80 degrees of the tail this morn
ing and nearly this extent was
visible to the unasSisted eye. The
diameter of the tail at a point
100000 miles out from the head
was this morning 1900, 900 miles.
AS the earth and comet will pass
each other on the evening of May
is with a relative velocity of be-
tween 40 and so miles per second
the earth will be approximately 10
hours in passing through the tail.
provided the present dimensions
remain essentially unchanged.
The observer should have no diff
fculty in obtaining an excellent
view of the comet a short distance
above the east point of the horizon
Just before the break of dawn
During the remaining mornings of
this week the best view of the
comet may be obtained at 3:15 a.
M. local time, for all situated in
approximately the latitude of San
Francisco
Observers near the northern
edge of the United States. in Can
ada and in central and northern
Europe Will get their best views
earlier than 3:15 a. m. and those
situated in the southern part of
the United States in similar lati-
tude should look a few minutes
later than S:15 a. m. Tomorrow
morning the comet will be 40.-
100000 miles from the earth.
Will Grow DINNER
Los ANGELES, May 10.-Directo
George E. Hale of the Mount Wilso
observatory has issued the following
statement in regard to observation
made by himself and assistants of Hal
ley's comet. which is rapidly becoming
brilliant in the eastern sky:
At present the comet is in one
of its most favorable positions for
observing. 1T has just passed the
point where ii rises longest before
the sun, and from this time until
May Is it will approach the sun
and become more and more difficult
crosses the sun and after that date
VIII become an object in the west
ern sky, rapidly increasing in it's
distance from the sun.
If the brightness of the comet
does not increase too rapidly, il is
probable that the most important
observations will be made after it's
passage across the sun. since IL will
be favored by a dark sky On May
Is the earth will pass through the
tail of the comet at a distance of
$4,000. 900 miles from the head and
two days later the earth and the
comet will be closest together
about IA 10000 600 miles apart
The tail of the comet is interest
ing because of the striking char
acter of the structure which it
shows. 1t is clear from the obser-
vations that cyanogen gas Is pres
ent in large quantities. also sodium,
The statement concludes with the re
assuring deduction that as the densit
of the tails of comets is less than an
vacuum which it is possible to produc
in laboratories, it would be impossibl
for gases forming the comets tail t
penetrate the earth's atmosphere, eve
to the slightest extent.