Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-03-11

AS when a comet far and wide deserted
In scorn of Phoebus midst bright
heaven dotta~<lIine. 81
And tidings sad Of death and mischief
To, ,niigify lords. TO mOnarehs and to
kiugz.r
sung Tasso in the dim ages OF the past.
and 10 this good day there are people
who are superstitiousN and think that a
comet foreteIls death or disaster
God moves In a mysterious way.
His wonders TO perform.
he plants Ills fspt upon the sea
lie rides upon the Storm
Is much better way of looking at ma
lure and Gods wonderful works.
Just now a visitor is In the heavens
that Is attracting considerable attention.
Ii has shown on this earth at stat~i
periods and has created considerable
CONSERVATION during its various appear
anees. Even now. people who do not
know. any more about it than YOU and
j. 50 far as ForeteIling its effect upon the
earth. are saying all sorts of things I'm
regard to IL.
This comet received its name from a
distinguished English astronomer. Ed
ulund HALEY. who observed il in l6s3. and
predicted it's return in 1159- He based
his prediction on the fact that its orbit
vas almost Identical with that of l0o'
and I5s1- lie had read in history of a
wonderful comet in 1856. 1901, 1l45 and
1es6. The intervals had been about %
years duration. so HALEY concluded thai
rhes must be the same comet and this has
proved correct
The. comets history has been most in
teresting. II was regarded in 1906 as the
foretelIer of the victory of william or
Normandy Its size then was recorded
as equal to that of the full moon. In
1856 its tail reached from the horizon
10 the zenith and the widest excitement
prevailed. You and ]. in the light of alt
we have learned. can imagine how
frightened must have been those an
clients when without warning such a
sieht appeared in the heavens. Every
time il appeared they gave it some won
derfuI power OF prediction or revenge
The very first record was B. c. 1S0
and il was credited with heralding the
birth of Mithridates.
While there Is still much uncertainty
about comets the spectroscope has
helped us-learn little more than the
aucients knew. We know that this one
about every Is years. 1t moves around
the sun in an opposite direction from the
planets. Its orbit is inclined about is de
grees to the plane of the earth's orbit.
and this makes a collision impossible.
The comet is at present i'm the constei-
lation Pisces about half way from the
zenith down TO the western horizon at
dark. and about eight degrees west of
the planet Saturn. II is not yet visible to
the naked eve and as il is approaching
the sun IL will soon be lost in his rays
tin about April l. when IL will reappear In
the morning sky ahead Of the sun. On
March - il will be on the opposite side
ofathe sun from us. and on April 70 II
va pass its periheliOn at a distance OF
54ee0.0e0 miles from the sun
From that time till May Is il will be
glorious spectacle in the morning heav-
ems On Nav Is il will pass directly be-
tween the earth and the sun. when IL
VIII be only 100000 miles from us. AS II
SWEEPS rapidly by US it will pass from
the morning to the evening sky again.
and after a few weeks 1t will bid us adieu
for its long journey into the depths OF
space not TO return TO US again in three
foslrths OF century
As il rushes by US on May Is IL will pass