The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-05-03

EN that cometary vista
W. lions have always in
T~S sDired. ! shall explain
~ briefly the nature OF
10 comets, and the phe-
somena attending their
- occurrence.
,rsr Question naturally arising
.n-,st is = Comet" AS present
- .ha ave. q comet is a luminous
90 :, h,,5,- consisting OF q nucleus,
49,. and q tail. The nucleus has
" aone4rauce Of = star The coma
~ rjoudv. fog-hhe. nebuious mass
- @nd;nq he nucleus, and shading
- ,-rv gradually toward the edge
81 and coma together constitute
Au't t1o7 If the comet, which looks
t In q e+ar shining through q circular
.,b NJ mist. The tail streams away
"a. ~eearrnrght from the head, in
n"1 Traction opposite the sun. Mar
:" ari bright at first, It grows wider
i ,nora diffuse as il feCedeS from
sIo load until ii fades away SO grao-
Nv hot the keoneSt eye is baffied
- ~a,+am0ting TO trace il to a definite
~ II is more OF less fan-shaped.
ra,araiv hnt IS sometimes curved
IT, . sabar. Occasionally, d comet
has TWO ~ nor" talls.
Comets may be Of almost any di-
mlrsiore. Their nuclei have been OBJ
served 30 vary from a diameter Of
,Qanry-4ight miles, in the case Of b
comet Of 1873. to one OF $4,000 miles,
IN the case Of Donati's comet OF 1858.
rn4 had II the comet Of 1S47 was
Sa41 miles i'm diameter, that Of Hal
1ey.s il. 1885 vas 1000 miles. while
that q the comet Of 1911 measured
I1..60y mIes-a diameter nearly
aet 0DV niles larger than that of the
y.n. romet4ry tails vary in length
from 1900. coo miles. in II case Of
the comet - 1I44, to 26o.0GG.000
miles IT. The case Of the comet of 1S43.
The tail OF the Great Comet Of 1918
stretched across the heavens a dis
tar~e 81 1g4 degrees tarc). or nearly
onerhird Of lhe entire celestial orbit
These usures apply to comets Visi-
HE 10 the naked eye, OF course, COM
us If smaller dimensions than those
mentioned may he seen with a tele-
scope. Indeed. the vast majority Oh
theIn are not visible at ali to the I'M
aided eye, only thirteen out of the
tAtfa hundred observed during the last
century being seen without telescope
a.
G.a eya.t nature - the Constituents
e.'Ine-te CONFUSING romets is still
.4fSel. Il matter - conjecture and
heal controversy. and consequently
'a-15t IL explained with dogmatic
p'AuEanaSS. The most generally ac-
''pte1 theory as 10 their nature. how
Ever, Is mat they are sand banks"
'tASa'it8 OF small Metcoric particles
TFa'a''d by hundreds Of feet, and
@arFaNo ID masses o. gas composed
SE"tiIaI!y II carbon. Indeed. their
recent analysis by thc s~pectroscopc re-
sda The presence Of three bright
~1'+7 t@ilcideht with one or other Of
-' t@Ebon Spectra-with the spec
rum Of the Bunsen fame accor1ing,
~e1hdeT-, aud also the identity
D'l"een comets and rneteors r,-T-
Tue SpectFos-opo shows that SO
-.'. magnesium and iron constitute
ri -'E part Of the nucIear masses
, NETS, What other clements than
IN a's present is unknown.
IT, 'r"tr'"f may be the exact chem
r4r5+ -a'1t3 81 comets, three facts re-
esta.i";N, '"tIF ply sIcaI nature are we'll
c.~rrnINu' namely, that the matter
ua,.J ing mem is extremely atten-
tsoa ''u volatile, and that, unlike
hen 'CiletS are subject to disso]u-
~sra nv decay Ike living beings. IN
Try r1o'e IehuIty Of cometarv mat
,,r, ,FaIed by The tact that comets
.ra ."o'' III size to jupiter have
.,, sro again passed verv near the
@.~,a ''rllo4t sen6ibly influencing its
"r Sreat, thFif own orbital paths
,o.,s @.@J[ Hanged. This fact be
.@a rh5+ INFANT when it is remem-
<Mst.at "ltfacuOu between matter
oo-r y, me ne bodies attracting each
%r--p BASIL. ,lsio~trete. Lexen's comet
rs Ealgm.sD very close to the earth
@+a r .,Gfe vas 50 great that ID -
ssgers'I'' have longthcned onr me vee ear IN
grsr.5S 81 seconds Of time '"f year by
@ag}e' VI our year vyss nnt 6uI .he
4'4, tb9e The while. on the otber
,.%aasa93 IL period Of he come ot mea
>s G uls,% several days. We a'nee was
aSa ,.e la IN '67s that the amount of
s%1 LOO ANS GtlS comet must be less
h. ns hasn't IT. Of in mater co M sne asrs uftn
q ~ @ooa,,a pp'jcs s'' @ail ,a This IL
s sease t6s9 n~hioh are yas sne h mars
@F Of ~ lhe tails ~ 'oo1S more