Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-17
The Return of HaTey'S Comet
BY EDGAR LUCIEN LARKIN

dian, which is Pacific coast time, this
comes out a. m. April 19. But while
on that day it will be at its nearest
point to the sun 1t will not be nearest
to the earth. This will occur May is,
at which time the comet will be on the
same straight line with the earth and
sun. And the comet will be in between
the sun and the earth at a distance of
100000 miles from the earth. There
fore, If the streamer on that day is
longer than 100000 miles, the earth
will dash through it with speed of
5015 miles per second of time. The
earth will be moving 1871 miles per sec
ond and the comet 80, but in an op-
posite direction, the added motions be-
ing the unthinkable velocity here given.
These have infested literature since
the invention of writing. 1t is fascln-
ating to read in ancient chronicles
these terrifying predictions of evil
about to fall on man whenever huge
comet appeared Mentalists find many
strange facts for research in these fore
bodings of disaster And not they
are beginning; really they ought to
wait until the comet draws within view
of the unaided eye. Since the first
sight of the coming visitor secured
here, November II, 1909, 1t has
greatly Increased in magnitude and
brightness; but it will be some time
before it will be visible in small teles-
copes, and longer still to the eye with
out optical aid. The earth passed
through the streamer of large comet
June 30, 1861.
The train of Halley's comet in 1885
narrowed from the head, and tapered
to a point so it may happen that 1t
will not be wide when the earth flies
through it. The comet of 1861 was at
IL - f6a lQnRTn
of 11S degrees; thus If the nucleus was
rising, the streamer was % degrees
longer than from the horizon to the
zenith The lengths of these streamers
in historic times have ranged from
6,S0O00O to 198.SO0,000 miles, nearly 2OO,-
900, 900, the distance of the earth from
the sun being 930OOO00. The longest
here given was that of 1S43, which
started up ideas of the immediate end
of the world Halley's comet was ex-
ceedingly large in 1456 and in 1882 And
it was a great comet in 1901 In 1866
"it astonished all Europe and China"
The materials IN cometary streamers
may be as rare as the most nearly
perfect vacuum which can be produced
by a modern mercurial air-pump. Amy
foreign body from 100.000,000 TO 100000
900 miles in length, containing matter
of the density of air. would contain
such an enormous mass that by Its at
traction the motions of all the planets
would be disturbed But no such dis
turbance has been detected by the most
accurate research, not even In the mo-
ton of the little world of Mercury,
when huge comets have passed near it.
Stars, even faint ones, are visible
through vast distances of comets trails.
The number of comets catalogued Is
about 700 The apparent length OF
streaner depends largely on the angle
it makes with the line of vision. Thus,
a trail 50,000,000 miles in true length
could appear as only 100000 or 5,0O0.-
0o0 owing to an acute visual angle.
Thus the comet OF 1S43 was inclined to
a line drawn from the earth to it at 60
degrees, but its length was 19S,SOO,O0O
miles; while the comet of 1911 was at
an angle of 25 degrees, and in length
109 10000 miles. Halley's comet was
first seen in a telescope in its return In
1888, on December 20, and passed perl
helion on March 13, 1853; and first de-
tected in 1885 on August s, and perihe-
lion occurred on November 16. The
present visit was first observed by
means OF celestial photography on Sep
tember II. 1903, while perihelion will be