Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-04-05
Miseellaneou5 Rsadina.
THE CALL OF THE COMET.
Interesting Story of Strange, Heavenly
Visitor.

| CSh'nS ShOiy VI ShiohSSt
| Visitor.
| Earth is being honored just now by
a visit from a noteworthy guest. No
provincial visitor Is this-it would not
do even to call 1t world-known. For
this wanderer has the universe itself
for its journeyings, and from out be-
more it's friend, earth. Many times
before has it made the long jour
ney, and it's devotion to friendship is
proved by the fact that, although it re-
quires seventy-five years (and then
some) to make the round-trip from it's
starting point out there beyond Nep-
tune, it never fails to call regularly up
on earth. True 1t Is that 1t will not
come again until those of us who see 1t
on this visit have left earth forever,
but as the planets and the stars count
time, it is a frequent caller. Earth
might well introduce 1t as, MY inti-
mate friend Halley's comet"
The comet cannot complain that it
/
each of its calls. Way back in the
days when men believed astrology rath-
er than studied astronomy, its visits
aroused the greatest Of interest. Tnen
when science was first beginning to
supplant the mysticism Of the past as
regards the heavens, a great man of
science made the glad announcement
that this comet not only had visited
| earth many times before. but would
continue to do so as long as the spheres
| swung in their courses and stars and
suns obeyed the laws Ot celestial order.
from then an added interest was taken
III the calls of this comet. And in view
ot all that mas been SAID and written
concerning the visit OF the comet in
this year of grace, 1910, it must be said
that If it feels il has not mad its fuil
need of honor shown it, it is Il person.
incatiOn of egoism sucn as even man
mas never attained.
The interest shown III tine comet Is
not any narrow thing, confined to one
| class OIL men only. III fact 1t Is not the
astronomers SO much as the great mass
uf the people who are interested in the
comet. Some of the scientinc men ap-
pear rather indifferent to it, in COM
parlson with the interest Of the mere
dilettante. 1t is all very well for them
~ say tnat the attention it is attract
ing Is out of all proportion to its i'm
portance-but the men and the women
and the children are not to be put off
like that.
| Forest Ray Moulton, associate pro-
fessor Of astronomy of the University
of Chicago has remained as calm and
unperturbed as though there were no
comet exciting the world, just now. 'Of
| course Halley's comet is interesting
he conceded the other day, when asked
| to talk concerning it, but, after all,
1.-THE great furor over it has not started
IN the observatories, but in the news
| paper offices. The laws which govern
it have been understood for so many
years that there Is nothing startling in
| this visit--it is only what the astrOno-
mers for hundreds of years could have
foretold. HALEY, whose name was
given to the comet because of mis- dis
coveries concerning it, announced those
discoveries in 1852. He could have told
then, approximately, when it would be
visible this year. So | cannot grow
greatly excited over it.
| 1T is a strange things" went on the
professor as he leaned back in his chair
as though settling himself for long
discourse, that men and women are
always so greatly interested in COM
cts. Now the planets are just as inter-
esting, or at least l should think they
would be. They are governed by in
teresting laws and surely anyone could
| find much pleasure in studying them
| But, you see, the planets we nave with
us always, and comets are something
of a novelty. And so it is the comets
which differ from the planets by their
bizarre appearance, complex motions
and temporary visibility, which attract
attention. In reality, comets are not
unusual. There are records of about
| 400 before the invention of the tee
scope in 1909, and there have been
about that number observed since that
time.
| "Of all the comets of which We know
| there is none more interesting, histor-
icaly at least, than Halley's comet. 1t
was the comet observed by HALEY, who
was friend of Sir Isaac Newton, and
which proved that some comets nave
closed orbits and hence may be relied
upon to appear at regular periods. Be
fore that time it had been belle Ecd that
when a comet disappeared from sight
| it had gone into an infinity from which
| il mad come, and that it would never be
visible again. There are some comets
which appear only once; but there ar"
others which have what are known as
closed orbits and they appear at regu-
ular intervals, which can be computed
OF these comets, Halleys is one. 1t re-
quires approximately seventy-fvc years
to complete its journey. lis last APP
| pearance was i'm 1885.
The comet is visible in the evening
now in the west, but as it has not at
tanned its greatest brilliancy, and as
| the atmospheric conditions have not
been favorable, it has not been at it's
best for observations. About the mid
die of April the sun will be- between US
and the comet and then, of course, II
| will be invisible. When next it is Wis
ible it will be i'm the east in the morn
ing, for on May 49, it will be between
us and the sun. That is when its tail
will hit the earth. But don't be alarm
ed or let anyone you know be alarmed
thereat The comets tail couldn't pos
sibly do any harm. 1t will brush the
earth as lightly as spring zephyr.
When it is remembered tnat the comet
Is moving at the rate Of twenty miles
q second some idea of II" length Of its
orbit may be had. one can go quite
| l., hin