The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-05-07
Bun PULLS COME 7
BACK TO EARTH
henomenon Makes Long Journey To
Outer Darkness and Then Turns
Around and Starts Back

Why does Halleys comet come
BACK to the sun every rs or q years
Nhy Is 1t that when il passes Nep-
nne,. 2,79l. 500 900 miles from the s''l-
wanders ON "a few hundred million
niles farther and then turns around
ND starts back TO visit us once more ?
During the middle OF April tue
Bonnet was swinging about the sun
NJ distance sof less than biOOo,0NV
niles. After getting away FROM the
entera OF the solar system safely u
tiarted upon It's long tourney through
pace. during which II passes Venus
|he earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus ana
knally Neptune piowing along SOU
FARTHER. until..it gels AZ least oruJo'
boo 900 miles from The sun.
II Barney Oldheld had 10 N@s
Thai trip upon his auto racer. Eoli
third OF a second faster inan Ae
br any other mortal ever Went,
WOULD take him . SIS years aud
kays 10 get to the poinr where ha'.
.ey's comet changes It's mind auo't
funning away frorn the sun ahd ''
hides TO come back f0r anotder Ei''t.
II is generally accepted ~ asl on
kmers that comets are parts or Le
5amc original gaseous mass IRON
hich the solar system Is conuehac p
Being merely those portions vince
here originally left on he oulsiue
efore the. great common ROTATION
sas established. and which now. DC
(asionally drop in toward the center.
Some OF them would. IL not deferred
" The SUI, or the planets. sail right
|hrouah the whole solar system IN
{traipht line from one dark side o!
he rim 10 the other dark side, Prof.
.blv Halley's comet had IN mind
|rfn or this kind when il started out.
II was lust like as IL YOU wanlci
u take short cut straight across
hour -neighbors lot from your own 70
he second lot beyond.
But suppose your neighbor object
"a. and standing somewhere IN lSls
Dt lassoed you and held fast bui
ou kept on running ana running ana
unning. The result would be thal
lou would keep going around you.
eighbor in circle INSIDE his lot
This rs what the sun did TO ilaHey
somet when the latter tried TO cross
he solar system. The bunch OF pig
Ind little meteors ,yentured too neat
he sun, and they became "A bJuhe
md chained slave OF the sun l"e
INV of gravitation was responsl5.,
or this.
Now, If the comet has been plane,
would have gone on reyolyihs
bout the sun as does the EARN. Al
kad an idea OF its own as 70 where
IND how 1t would go-that Is. 1t
hought IL debut when the suns
nrce OF gravitation pulled 1t from OUT
n its pathway across the solar sys
lem. It's velocity sent it right bac. TO
rs starting point
Like all heavenly bodies the nu-
leus of the comet reyolves and It's
etary motion causes the centrifugal
orce which would hurl IL on IN the
1raight line II had started out on,
IL were not counteracted by the
orce OF gravltation that pulls IL TO-
rarde the sun.
For the next II years these two
orces will nearly balance each other,
nd the comet will be going at a
Iretty stiff speed in almost a straight
Inc from US and the sun. But aicl.S
bout 1922 its speed will begin TO
iminish very noticea6ly, and as a
Consequence II will begin to curve TO
ardf the sun and from the straight
Inc which would carry 1t away for
yer.s
In 1910 it will be going still slower
h will then be displaying its tail
hen but a little stubby appendage
pr the edificatiOn or the inhabitants
ID the planet Neptune, If Neptune has
my Inhabitants.
II circles about that planet every
bur and one-half yeaTs--Nepiune
ears II would take 60,1Sl.11 OF our
laws to make a year In Neptune.
AS the comet stumbles feebly on
ast the outermost planet. IT'S centri-
|ugal force is too small 10 resist The
un's force of gravitauon and il suc.
lambs TO the inevitable. II begins &C.
ealize that il cannot escape its mas
Ter, the sun, and reluctantly turns
bout, and along about 1917 Will So
hit TO answer the suns call
II will then be going about mile
minute. which is snail's pace
Fhen compared to the 29-miles-aecc.
md clip it is doing now. But this
peed will gradually quicken az il
Tears the sun once more, until I,
weeps by the sun with celestial
slute in 1885 or near then. -