The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-03-24
|DLAz|MG COMET
TO Be seen MAY IS
Earth Will Plunge Into Tail of It
Scientists Say, Don't
Get Scared"


witness a sight the like OF which has
never before been seen OF men, at least
since men have kept a written history
OF events. ON that day for over three
hours we shall be viewing the sun
through the great blazing head OF q
comet
OF a sudden our earth. swinging
b through space at Sc. 900 miles per hour,
/. will plunge into the tail OF Hailey's
comet. close to the neck OF H. The
tail will have been whipped against
us at it's own speed OF 10000 miles an
hour. Thus this globe Will dive
through the luminous haze at a total
kpeed OF 10000 miles per hour, ~
miles per second. the earth entirely
\ .nmersing herself In the celestial mist
IN less than three minutes, yet so thick
Is the tail at the point of perforation-
4 600 900 miles-that we shall be nearly
(. three hours and a half passing through.
What will happen? No two scien'
\ lists agree In detail. They are, now
ever, practically certain there Will De
( no harm done to any creature or the
earth, save the harm which fear does.
Bat the superstitious are almost Ger
tain to be stricken with mortal terror
during that three hours.
Awe-inspiring Display.
For those three hours Will show 70
saen the most sublime. awe-inspiring
display of heavenly fireworks this
earth has witnessed since space reared
with the primordial flames OF creation,
the astronomers say.
But. the chances are IL will be moth
B ina but light--terrifc, but harmless
For our sunlight during those 205 MN
utes will be altered through the
comets head or nucleus (the nead
win be eclipsing the SUM and that
head will have Just come from oatn
m the very flames OF the sun. This
y xaseous head, 81 times as big as our
earth AMI only 14.c0O,000 miles away
IN mere step compared even with the
distance TO the SUM, will De poliihs'
tuning, exploding. blasting IN titanic
\ convulsions OF heat after its recent
experience.
And II Is through such lens our
sunlight must come filtered Tor tnree
y hours and half May H.
We did, indeed. have one slight pre-
yious experience with the tail OF
comet. On. June 80, 1861. We shipped
through part of the tail OF Teooets
comet. But IL was mere wisp OF tar
Just a thread at the extreme end Oh
the tails 100000 miles OF length
4 hair a scant 5000 miles thick.
Astronomers Experience.
Vet for the experience OF seeing
that hair severed the French astrono-
,ner Iiais iourneyed to Rio de Janeiro
and act up his instruments.
The moment came. Suddenly Liais
cav the sky turn like blood at midday.
Then there was a rapid plunge into
larid. phosphorescent yellow and
almoet instantly the sky darkened 10
4 coppery green, as IL a tornado were
annroaching. The next instant. be-
fore the observer could realize 1t, the
.nn shone serenely again, the earth
minute for passing through the 5000
ynile-thick hair was up, and Llais
hacked his instruments and went
home.
Wen be In Halley's comets tail
ever three hours. VIII the effect be
proportionately awful?
Scientists all over the earth are
warning people to be prepared lor
strange sights, but not to be frignt-
ened. For. as the saying goes, the
whole 62. SOC. 900 miles OF its tail, con-
6onsed. might be packed In a trunk
Saws Andre, director OF the Lyons
observatory: "You must not be aston
i<bed II II shows ar aspect as strange
ana stranger than anything ever seen
before"
what effect the adventure will have
npon the earth is disputed. Comets
are little understood. There are In
etruments which partially show their
composition, but beyond those known
facts each scientist has dinerent eh-
PLANTATION.
"A recent theory is that the comet
nucleus or head is simply an enormous
gas lens. and what appears TO be a
tail Is, In reality. only the pencil Vi
conce ntrated sunlight such as pro-
iceeds from an ordinary searcnnsn,.
IOutside OF this pencil we can see It's
Length. But once In 1t, we would oo-
serve only an increase In the heat ana
lbriiliancy of the sunlight.
Much Speculation.
Under this theory the only effect
that will be noticed May Is will DO
that the sunshine will fairly burn
1 .person. Bdt in the shade IL should be
B fairly comfortable.
II the comets tail is of gas, at least
the gas Is much diluted. Some observ-
ers fear the deadly cyanogen gas.
which, II thick, would stine all breath
ing things at once. Diluted, such
gas might turn tho whole world veIy
sick TO It's stomach for two or three
hours.
Some predict display OF electrical
I phenomena. tremendous but harmless
as the aurora borealis. Deslandres, a
Trenchman. says the tail is made up
CT cathode rays, which. touching our
atmosphere, would become X-rays OF
great intensity. The effect OF X-rays
upon the air is to wiring the water ont
of t. So we may be soaked with
dcluees OF rain during our comet bath.
Some believe the comets tail is in.
. tensely hot But this heat must be
tlliniy distributed. owing to the flmy
character OF the tail. Moreover. the
Garth has an enveloping blanket oil
< cool air 10 save IT, The foundryman
can wet his finger and plunge 1t safe.g
y into molten iron. The air blanket
would act like water jacket.
There Is chance yet that we wonr
touch the tail at all The full obser
vations have not yet been taken. The
final calculations may show that The
X tan will miss the earth by few thou