Willmar tribune., 1910-04-27

In the year 1880 most wonderful
comet made its appearance, which
by it's splendour and swiftness, ex-
cited the deepest interest through
out the world. 1t came from the
regions of space Immediately above
the ecliptic, and plunging down.
wards with amazing velocity, in a
direction almost perpendicular to
this plane. it appeared to direct its
flight in such manner that it must
inevitably plunge directly into the
sun. This was not, however, the
case. Increasing it's velocity as it
approached the sun, sweeping
around that luminary with the speed
of million miles an hour, it then
commenced it's recess, throwing off
train of light which extended to
the enormous distance Of one hun
dred millions of miles. Its posi-
tions were marked with all the
accuracy which the instruments
then in use permitted, and it was
found that parabolic curve could
be constructed which would embrace
all the po itions of the comet. The
great eccentricity Of its orbit, and
it's vast period. amounting to nearly
six hundred years, gave to the comet
great interest, but rendered it an
unfit object for analytical research.
Fortunately, in the year 1882, an
other comet made it's appearance,
to the study of which, the great
English astronomer, HALEY, devot-
ed himself with a zeal and success
which has justly stamped his name
on the remarkable body. He OBJ
served it's position with great care.
and with wonderful pains computed
the elements of its orbit. He found
it moving in plane but slightly
inclined to the plane Of the ecliptic,
and in an eclipse Of very great
e]ongation, receding from the sun
to the enormous distance of 3.400.-
900, 900 miles. He discovered that
the nature of its orbit was such
as to warrant the belief that the
comet would return at regular in
terva|s of about seventy five years.
Recurring to his historical table Of
comets, he found it possible to trace
it back with certainty several hun
dred years, and with probability
even to the time of the birth Of
Mithridates, one hundred and thirty
five years before Christ. and from
an examination of all the facts. and
with full confidence in his computa-
tion, HALEY ventured the bold pre-
diction that this same comet would
reappear about the close of 1858, or
the beginning Of 1859.
This was certainly one Of the most
extraordinary predictions ever
made, but which was fully justified
by the event, and on the 25th day o1
December 1853, George Palitch
an amateur peasant-astronomer
caught the first glimpse of the long
expected wanderer, which. after ar
absen ,e Of three quarters of cen
tury, once more returned to crown
with triumph the great English as
tronomer who first foretold it's per
iod, and the eminent French
mathematicians who had actuall,
computed it's perihiIion passage, tt
within nineteen days, in seventy-si,
years! We might here remark tina
the irregularities in this comet
period, are owing to perturbation
caused by the attractions OF tht
larger planets. Far as this bod!
penetrates into space, it never, ever
at the most remote point of it,
orbit. escapes from the sensible
influence of the panet Jupiter.
At the time of its return in 1859
Clairault, the eminent Frencl
geometer, computed that it was re
tarded one hundred days by the in
huence of Saturn, and five hundred
and eighteen days by the action O
Jupiter. 1t is also liable to b.
greatly Influenced in some of it
periods by the attraction Of tn
planets Neptune and Uranus, whicl
IN 1859 were not even suspected t
be in existence. The interval from
1859 to 1885, when Halley's come
ought to make its next appearance
witnessed great improvements in as
ttonomy. The methods of comput
ing planetary perturbations wer
greatly improved; the planet Uranu
was discovered and added to tn
system, and more accurate masse