The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-01-18
COAST WILL GET
VIEW OF COMET
Chabot Observatory Professor
Prophesies Spectacular
Performance.

| OAKLAND, January 3. - Halley's
comet wi II give the Pacific Coast a
close brush this year on the evening
of May Is, between the hours Of four
and ten clock, and the "ibrush" will
be something spectacular, says Prof
Charles Bnrckhalter of the Chabot
Observatory, because the earth will
pass through the last third of the 20,-
00,000-mile tail of the celestial visitor
and the result ought to be as dazzling
o piece of heavenly fireworks as this
generation has ever witnessed.
The news that Halley's comet will be
seen only on the Pacific Coast has not
hitherto been published, although the
fact has been known for some time to
the astronomers of the world, many Of
whom will journey to California to be
on the scene when the great phenome-
non takes place.
| Burckhalter is making a careful
study of the comet even at this early
date, and has designed model, which
shows plainly the respective relations
of the sun, the earth and the comet at
the occasion when the latter crosses
the earth IS orbit.
This model he is using to illustrate
his daily informal lectures, delivered to
those interested people who call at the
Chabot Observatory and obtain peep
at the strange wonder in the heavens.
In discussing the comet, the Oakland
astronomer says:
Astronomers Cromelin and Cowell
of the Royal Observatory at Green
witch have probably made the most
exhaustive researches into the history
of the comet. They have worked from
a mathematical standpoint in order to
calculate its periods-a period being
the time it takes for comet to travel
from the point nearest the sun to com.
plete its orbit and to return to its
original starting point. They have
| traced the comets history back to
| the year 240 B. c., and they have esti-
mated that the average period is over
| seyenty-six years, although, accord
ing to their calculations, this last one
will be short, the period being little
| over seventy-four years and six
| months. The shortening of the period
| this time is due to the attractions of
other planets, principally Saturn.
g According to the computations of
Cromelin and Cowell, Halley's comet
will reach the descending node on May
Is, 1910, when it will be in a direct
line between the orbits of the earth
and the sun, and it so happens that the
earth will reach that particular point
of its orbit about the same time, Should
the calculations of the astronomers
prove to be rigidly correct, the comet
will pass directly between the earth
and the sun between the hours of four
and ten o clock, standard Pacific time.
Iat H., 4
ing the middle of this time, or seven
p. M, it will be visible over the Pa
cifc Ocean, Eastern Asia, and Western
North America. The sun will have set
in the eastern part of the United States
and the comet will be, therefore, in
visible to all parts of the country on
that side of the Rocky Mountains. Thus
we have on the western edge of the con-
tinent an opportunity of observing this
transit that is absolutely unique and
without precedent in the history of
the comet.
"The comet is very near the calcu-
lated position at the present time, and
there is no reason for believing the
work of Cowell and Cromelin will need
much or any revision. So we can be-
lieve that their predictions of the com
ing phenomenon will be fulfilled.
at is unfortunate that the sun will
be rather low, but it will still be of
sufficient altitude to make good OBJ
servations possible. Should the transit
take place as predicted it will last
about an hour, and, should the comet
cross the suns disk centrally, it will
give the visiting astronomers a splendid
opportunity to study a comet under
the most favorable conditions. AS the
vagaries of comets are as little under
stood as they were when men first be-
gan the study of the heavens, the re-
suits of the observations may not be
all that is hoped for.
"Another feature of the visit lies in
the fact of the nearness of the comet
to the earth-a distance of 100000
miles. AS the tail of the comet should
be about 20000,000 miles long and
pointing directly away from the sun, it
will doubtless be encountered by the
earth, but on that point have nothing
to say"
The astronomer insists that he has
"nothing to say'' about so dramatic a
situation, fraught not only with awe
. inspiring possibilities to the jewellers
, on the globe, but fraught, as well, with
, possibilities of tragic moment. Whether
. or not the earth's dive through the
: comet S tail will mean anything more
. than dazzling starry spectacle Pro
. fessor Burekhalter will not predict. He
: only says: "Wait and see.