The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-20
COMET IS A PUZZLE STILL
NOBODT ~ SIRE THiT WE'VE
PASSED THROUGH IT'S ran.

" Marrhand. French astronomer had
noted that Hallsy's comet was not keep
ing to schedule and predicted that It
would furnish some surprises. u Ger
tainly has surprised astronomers over
here rlready They had il ah figured
uut that We we're passing through tho tai
night before last There couldn't have
heen any numerical error In their reckon
ing. they say. because they have a system
IT checks that precludes mistakes No
We all got ourselves hraced up 10 the point
81 standing the mighty frisking without
a murmur and az the appointed time every
one looked at every one else and thOugh'
he would Just az soon do that all DAY
And then they fash IL on us thai maybe
VIZ haven't passed through the tail and
maybe W. won't or maybe We went
through il in daylight yesterday or maybe
last night
What knocked the figuring into a cooked
hat was the appearance OF that tai just
before dawn Yesterday over IN the eastern
SKY when they all thought II was 10 Oe
seen next ia the western sky. And when
they realized that the logaTiihm tables had
been turned ON them they were non
commi,,aI for a while and then they be-
/ can increased curves and things ike that.
/ Just at sunset last evening Prof. Harold
| Jacoby lei another procession out 10 the
mark wall on Riverside Drive at the foot
Of seventy fourth street and watched
/ for symptoms. Jupiter came out accord
ing TO schedule few degrees on the
right II the moon instead Of ON the let,
as il was the night before. and there
we're a few plumes Of smoke rising into
the western horizon from the Jersey
shore. and the after dinner comet hunters
were there with binoculars and opera
glasses and monoCles. hut the sky was
very ordinary Rus tops going both
wavz were swaying with persons whose
ewes were nailed on the Jersey skyline
Tayis and automobiles crlissd along
"a. driveway or nCsei alongside The
curbing People stood up in them
with the evident idea Of peep'ng over
tho edge 1t the earth. Questions. tech
meal and Law. bristled in tho air and every
star that popped out with the waning
twilight was possibility. More false
alarms were raised than no the night
before. because there were more person'
on hand
" the tail Is really iOO degrees long
~ those who observed it last night say.
Prof Jscohv decarei. I'VE ought Ia 80
~ yWav M in the sky - the west evsr
some time after the sun has set This
W.. - or sboIt 80. more than a quartet
Of an hour after sunset Time went m
and the glow began o. die ont across IN,
river Not q wisp Of unusual light ap'
pearpd The astronomer kept np th'
vigil until Il WIS too DARK % So anythin6
bat the are Il ght On the corner and ther
ba decided o. call ~ the witch.
The most roasOng HE explanation 81
tho way the comet he's acted, said h
--aems 20 b. that the tell has curved
more than W. anticifsted In that even
40 might e,.Sily miss the e7rth entirely
, PERHAPS We have glready pgssed through
! tho tau perhaps We shall g. through q
tonight vt perhaps the experience he
fsen dsnied "a altogether. A curve tia
, would be- enough 10 warp the tell 40 tha
the distFnce from head 10 TAP would h
less thnn iI.OOaODp miles would put ~
out " the tails reach Or possibly d
curved around one side or the other NJ
the earth or above or below Ne We cal
only writ until some other appearance
occurs 20 make certain
-po Won think the tai mas h-ei
. droppeds- he was asked.
! Its quite conceivable ~As the an
b -war We have records Of many tels
-coplc comets losing their tails and per
hans this one has But ! think w. sha
. pick u no over there m the west. point
' ing away from the sun. ~ ve have sup
p posed
? Those Who rad been hearing most q
, the basic forecasts denied from sil part
\ OF the world were beginning 10 get ,ceptl
2 cal last evening and Prof JaCoby va
- asked whether the dispatches iroI
I, Manila and Honolulu reporting unsuC
]. r.--sful observations meant that the hea
. OF the comet hadn't crossed the sun
p. face vet
oh. that -h1uldn b. regarded a.
. failure AZ all. hs replied. We ha'
=. never had chance tn verify our ides
% Of the lack Il density in comets hut th
r seems 10 show that the sun had no dlf
!. c,iltv IN binding the astronomers I've
l. this negative result j. valuable
4 For the purpose Of supplying a htt
b. encouragement 10 those Who have looks
: and looked and gone unrewarded IN
!, SKY EXPERT declared that when IL final
m appears after sunset the comet will be
wonder
=, Three factors will make up the co
- dtions governing the best view, said h
"a One ~ the intrinsic brightness Of u
sonnet itself. another - the absence
twilight m the ky aud the third Is n
-. absence Of moonlight. The comet
sr brightness is diminishing night aft
IN nigh, a. h falls away from ~. but Il
Ia other Two factors will become mo
l- favorable The comet VAL set lot
IN each evening and the moonlight "
- diminish after the full moon. II follo'
that a. The factors are acting IN opp
NY 80. directions ~ cannot ioretell VII
the SIM Of their Effects will be- ma
=. favorable Bat tank o. will he a We
from saturday n.ght
." Thcs 81. a total eclipse Of the moo
new Monday night A. New YORK n
10 moon enters shadow az 1910 C'cloc
'r the Total eclipse begins e. i2iJ and Lac
!. until 100 aud the shadow passes avn
II al 2s8 Tus.dly morning. According
n Prof Jacoay ihls vii he Of little he
~, 60 the comet .eers. because HALEY
=. u.nrdnr "a m hive aat long helore The no