Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-01-14
GREAT COMET WILL LIGHT
UP HEAVENS THIS YEAR.


HALLEY's FAMOUS STAR DUE TO MAKE
ITS APPEARANCE EARLY IN 1910
WILL BE NO TROUBLE SEEING
IT WITH NAKED EYE.
If you live until next spring you are
going to witness one of the most mag
niiicent sights the heavens have ever
disclosed before your eyes, said we'll
known member of the astronomical
force al the United Naval Observatory
one afterooon. "Halley's comet comes
only once in lifetime. 1t was last
seen in 1885, and few persons now alive
can say they have ever witnessed it"
II The astronomical world is now on the
watch, and huge refracting and reflect
ing telescopes are trained upon the
heavens from many points on the earth
in common effort to locate the comet,
which is approaching the earth at a
terrific rate. There is friendly rivalry
to see which will be the first to pick up
the comet with their mirrors.
The comet in its full refulgence is not
due until 1910, but by spring it will
probably be near enough to be visible
by naked eye. In the past it has
spanned the heavens almost from hori-
zon to horizon, covering as much as 100
) degrees of celestial territory, and stand
ing out like great living thing of fire.
1t is now somewhere off in space, but
) not yet visible to astronomers. They
confidently expect some one to pick it
up before the end of 1909, and after that
J it will increase iH splendor and size
/ until it reaches its nearest approach to
\ the earth, some time next spring, after
|; which it will disappear, not to be seen
again in seventy-five years
"Halley's comet has been visiting
, the vicinity of the earth ever since 500
or 600 years before Christ" said the
/ astronomer. "Halley was an English
man, whose name was given to the
comet because he was the first to an
J nounce that this particular comet came
near the earth at regular periods once
every seventy-five years.
"He went over the records, and by a
series of computations found that what
( had previously been regarded as series
of different comets, was noting more
Z than the same comet, and that this,
3 the most magnificent of themIall, came
J around regularly once every seventy
( five pears. That was during the latter
( part of the eighteenth century, and
Haley announced that this comet
\ would next appear in 1885. He never
s lived to see it come, but his successors
J found that his prediction came true.
'sThe comets seventy-fve-year jour-
s ney will bring it toward us near en-
! ough for it to be seen early in 1910. 1t
\ has never before been photographed,
because photography was invented
. after 1885. Neither has the spectroscope
been upon this comet, this being an
other new invention. The telegraph
is another facility not available in 1885,
and there were at that time nothing
like the great telescope lenses of to-day
or the great 40-inch refractive telescope
at the Yerkes observatory, sixty miles
northwest of Chicago.
There will be no trouble seeing it
with the naked eye. 1t will illuminate
the heavens. We have some early
4 Chinese prints representing it as 8
golden dragon of the heavens. 1t will
make a tremendous splash of fire
After it once comes and goes it will
shoot away from the earth, going a.
far away as Neptune, the more distant
planet, passing all of the other planet
!. en- route, including Uranus, Saturn
Jupiter and Mars.
"We have calculated that HALEY
comet is now within the orbit of Jupi
. ter,' sad the astronomer, "and is rush
ing toward the orbit of the earth at tn
rate OF a million miles day. AS
: faint nebulus object in the cOnstell;
+ ton Orionf it will no doubt be pickle
up in few weeks. Celestial phot'
graphy has it already located in hmi
less space far beyond the vision of tn
most delicate telescope research. A
the comet enters into the orbit of OF
/ solar system it will grow brighter ever
day until it becomes visible to til
= naked eye-the most spectacular obje'
in nearly 100 years.
"There will be no danger of coll
sion with the earth. When closest
will be about 100000 miles ava.
1t should be brightest about next May