The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1910-05-25
A TRICKY COMET.
|; Seems to Have Fooled ALI the Astro0-
omsrs BY Its Movements.
MUST HAVE GONE WRONG

At Any Rate 1t Did Not Do What
1t Was Scheduled to Do, and Now
the Scientific SaSc~ Disagree A.
to Where 1t Is or What 1t Vii,
Presently DO.
| The comet seems to have fooled
the scientists for once. as it failed
to keep its engagements on We'd
nesday.
Prof.. Asahp Hall Of the naval OBJ
servatcry at Washington said at
O'Clock Thursday morning that the
earth would not pass through the
/ tail of HaIley's comet until sometime
that day.
From three o'clock on Thursday
morning until dawn. said Prof Hall.
there was visible in the east. ex-
! tending from the northeas, in a
| sou,heriy direction. the dim beam
of light Of the comets tail. AS
the moon descended westward the
shat. athware the heavens grew
palmer and was easily visible to the
naked eye.
According to Dr. Campbell OF the
Lick observatory at San Jose. Cal.
there is a possibility that the earth
may not pass through the comets
tail after all. In statement issued
early Thursday he said:
The tail was visible as soon as
the moon set. 1t is probable that we
shall miss passing through the tail
because it is tagging by several mil
lion miles. The comets orbit is in
clined to an angle with the earth's
orbit and It is probable We shall not
pass through the tail at all"
Calculators Confounded.
Setting at variance all scientific
figures and predictions and dumb
founding the astronomers at Yerkes
observatory at Williams Bay. Wis,
the tail Of Halley's comet was plain
II visible just before dayb7eak on
Thursday. The astronomers have no
explanation to proffer for the action
Of the comet.
Prof. S. a. Mitchell. of Columbia
university. Prof. Edwin B. Frost.
head OF the Yerkes observatory staff
and Prof. Edward Barnard. OF the
University Of Chicago. say that any
one of the following three explana-
tions may be right:
/. The curvature of the comets
tail first discovered and noticed By
Prof. Barnard on Tuesday night may
have developed to wholly expect
ed degree. while the head OF the
comet has passed the earth on sched-
ule.
>. Like Borel.is' comet OF 1908.
Hailey's comet may have ceased its
tail making activity. cutting OF the
glowing fan that is now puzzling the
scientists.
5. It IS possible that ali calcuia-
tons are wrong and that the comet
has no. yet passed the earth
AS nearly as could be computed
the period OF the appearance OF the
comets tail in the east extended from
I0.3S o'clock Wednesday nigh, TO
SEQ o'clock Thursday morning. II
was still plainly visible at time
when the astronomers were conf
dent the earth would kave passed
completely through the tail.
Daybrcak Statement.
After leaving his telescope at day
break Thursday. Prof. Frost ssued
tie following statement:
Greater than all the theories
and all the computations are the
facts. And the fact is that the
tail Of the comet has been appear
ing in the cas-. in practically the
same position as it appeared Wednes-
say. There is no question about
that. The tail which g!owed from
The horizon close to the milky va!
from before midnight until dawL
Thursday has net yet passed across
the earth. Tha; is certainty. In
addition. it is also certain that there
IS no material diminution in the
size Of this tail as compared with the
tail Of the day before.
II.
| latiors for the passage Of the head
IF the comet between the sun and
he earth are correct. UnQuestion-
ABLY astronomical experts working
independently OF each other in all
parts OF the wcrld arrived at these
calculations. which have been cor
.ected in detail ever since the comet
passed Venus on May ,.
! We are also confident that the
head of the comet made Its transit
IS per schedule But'the mystery OF
he appearance Of the tail in the
cas-, Thursday morning is the great
| puzzle. 1t can net be explained sat
| istactori!y at this time.
Curved its Tail
The earth did not plunge through
,he tail Of Halley'S comet at the
time scheduled by astronomers. ac-
,ording 70 Prof. Henry Norris Rus
sell, OF Princeton. y. J.. and Zacch-
Gus Daniel. the discoverer OF three
omets call because it was curves
in making the journey.
This failure OF the comet to De on
time. they said. was due 70 the fact
that the tail had developed a pro-
nounced curve and il was long aite'
sunup in this section OF the coun'
try before the passage OF the eaTif
through The comets eppendage.
Prof. Russell At 2.Io a m noticed