The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-05-18

the question of the composition of the comets head will be definitely settled before the transit is ended
 When the head of the comet passes the face of the sum- he states, "any solid matter will be distinctly visible, and as the transit occupies five hours we should be able to successfully de- termine the nature of that matter. As for the passage of the earth through the comets tail we expect to observe no unusual phenomena beyond a red dish glow in the sky. If clouds again obscure our vision, however, we shall be forced to defer our observations until the comet appears after sunset
 The opinion of the Harvard aStron- omers is unanimous that the earth will emerge from the tail of the comet unharmed.
 Professor E. H. Pickering said that fear of the end of the world because of the comet is absurd. Tt does not necessarily follows" he said, "that every event of importance must just precede or follow the flight of a comet. Halleys comet is of course no more baleful in effect than any other and prophecies of disaster for
 Washington, May 1S.-This is comet day. Fourteen million miles away, Halley's Comet is blowing through space at the rate of 15O,000 miles an hour and about 10 o'clock tonight the celestial visitor will give it's 2O,00O,O00 miles of tail a swish across the earth s face.
 The comet itself will not be visible on this side of the globe. The most that can be seen will be a luminous glow from the gaseous tail. There may be some attending phenomena. however similar to the aurora bor- calls, caused by the refraction of the rush of the comet through the earths S atmosphere ,and by the vacuum that scientists saS forms the tail.
 Spectroscopes and other special in- struments will be used by the sky sharps to determine the nature of the phenomena.
 ''The comet will probably have no lis L. Moore, of the weather bureau, today.
 New Haven, May 1S.-All local stu dents of astronomy and those inter- ested in sky maneuvers will tonight crowd the Yale observatory to make observations during the transit of Halley's Comet over the face of the sun. Although the equipment at the Yale observatory is very limited and the force of astronomers is small, they will tonight be on hand to help out those who are especially interested in learning the why's and wherefores of the fleeting comet.
 Professor Elkin, director of the Ob- servatory, is still ill and the observa- tory has been left in charge of an as sistant. The observatory, in the ab- sence of Professor Elkin, has not giv- en out any official observations and what have been taken have been for the benefit of the students interested in astronomy.
 Whatever others may say" said an assistant at the observatory today, i've are expecting to pass through the comets tail and we may see some in- teresting things happen. Just what will happen not even Haley could tell. But we are expecting to sget our moneys worth. It is only reasonable to suppose that something which hap pens only once in 75 years will be highly interesting
 On account of cloudy skies the Yale observers didn't get a view of the comet last night but several students and an assistant remained up until well into the morning preparing for tonignt'S expected observations.
 Wilkesbarre, Pa, May 1S.-Deternlin- ed to die with their wives and chil- dren in the event of destruction of the earth today by Halley's comet, thou sands of miners in the anthracite re- zion refused to go down the mines.
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