Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-05
OF SKIES
HaI|ey's Comet, Venus and
the Moon in Conjunction.
VISITOR SHOWING At BEST
Tail Streams Fifteen Degrees Across
Eastern Horizon.
BEST VIEW THIS MORNING
Atmosphere Cleared by Storm Made
the Use Of Glasses Un-
necessary.
SHOWING At BEST
BEST VIEW THIS MORNING

Never again will human eyes witness
the same superb spectacle which was at
forded in the eastern heavens this morn
| ing. Halley's comet, of course. was the
principal attraction which brought out
hundreds Of amateur astronomers in
Washington, and that vagrant visitor or
the sky was clearly visible to the unaided
eye But the particular treat which was
afforded to the star gazers was that OF
the comet and the planet Venus and the
crescent moon in conjunction.
After its neighborly call in the vicinity
| of the earth this month, Hailey's comet
will not return again for seventy-five
years, but even when it does return it
will be in a different position, and SO will
Venus and likewise the moon-hence the
spectacle in the east this morning Of the
brightest planetary star in the armament
the moon and the comet, all of, them IL
Illuminating the horizon and affording an
lunequaled opportunity for the observers
to draw contrasts, cannot be repeated be-
fore the eyes Of any future generations
when Halley's comet comes again in the
year 1885. the year 2O6O. the year 2130 or
| at any other time in the dim and distant
future.
Storm Cleared Atmosphere.
The storm of Monday afternoon and
evening had the effect of clarifying the
atmosphere, and all of the haze which
has obscured the horizon in other recent
mornings was gone. Granted clear and
favorable weather the comet would have
been visible without the aid of telescopes
or binoculars on many other recent morn
ings. In fact, several glimpses of the
celestial traveller and its spreading tai
have been afforded to the small band OF
night workers, hOmeward-bound In the
early morning, or to ambitious amateurs
who might choose to arise betimes and
engage in a comet hunt.
But conditions this morning were ideal.
Not cloud and not a particle OF mist
dimmed the eastern heavens. Hundreds
of persons seized the opportunity thus
afforded, and by $50 o'clock scores Of
roofs and other vantage points away
from trees and houses where unObstruct-
ed views of the heavens might be Sc
cured were occupied by telescope and
binocular equipped parties. 1t happened.
however. that none OF the glasses and
other aids to distant vision were needed.
Appeared on Schedule Time.
Promptly on schedule time HALEY s
comet gave first indication of its i'm
pending appearance A shaft of light
llIumlne0 the UOTtZOIi LII Iic CdSIs AuSIi
| resembling the brilliant glow from the
headlight Of a distant locomotive. Longer
and longer grew the flare. until finally
the head of the comet appeared. and. as
the revolution of the earth brought more
| and more Of the eastern heavens into
view, the comet had the appearance of
rising. tail first, into the sky. Alto
gether, the vagrant satellite and its tail
seemed to be about twenty feet in
| length. although astronomers have COM
| puted that the tail is actually more than
| &c, 600 600 miles long
Only few minutes after the head OF
| the comet came above the horizon the
hurrying earth brought Venus into view.
and as distances are measured in these
United States the millions OF miles be-
tween the planet and the comet seemed
reduced to a bare ten feet. A few minutes
more and the crescent of tile waning
moon arose" for the morning, another
ten feet further to the south. and then
the three satellites scared higher and
higher until at about 4:30 o'clock the,
tints of dawn tinged the east and within
a half hour the night providers of the
| sky were drowned from view in the bril-
liant light OF the rising sun.
Tail to the South.
The comet was at O'Clock due east,
with Venus slightly to the south and
Hover in the sky. and the moon still
further south, but a trif1e higher than
Venus.
The comet was at that hour somewhat
dimmed by the light of both the moon
and Venus. but. nevertheless. was dis
tinct with it's tail streaming toward the
south at an angle above the horizon The
nucleus at the first glance OF the eye APP
peared to be sharcer than might be ex-
pected from the futile efforts heretofore
| TO locate the comet exactly without the
aid Of powerful glasses. A moderate
power telescope or high power binocu-
| lars gave the nucleus or head \ decided
definition and showed somewhat more OF
the streaming tail than could be dis
cerned by the eye alone.
| This morning the tail of the comet was
about fifteen degrees in length. or thirty
times the diameter of the full moon. Not
since the come: Of 1882 has such q bril-
| liant view been afforded of one Of the
wanderers OF the heavens.
Tomorrow morning the moon will be
absent. but the comet should be even
brighter.
The comet will be visible in the east
Ito the unaided eye every clear morning
until May Is. when 1t will pass between
the earth and sun. After this it will be
| visible in the west and will be a brilliant
lobject. There now seems to be little
doubt that the tail at It's best will extend
at least forty-five degrees or across one
Il <l- Ia "A