The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-04-19

lOUi, 1901, l9DO anu Ioio were one anu
the same comet, having periodic
time of about 20 years and he then
made the prediction that It would
again appear about the year 1853 or
1859, a prediction that was in due
time confirmed by observation.
The appearance Of Halleys comet
in 1456 took place under peculiar and
Interesting moral and political condl-
tions. The Christian nations of Eu.
rope had long been at war with the
followers of Mahomet, and the sudden
appearance of the comet filed all Eu.
rope with CONSERVATION and alarm
and seemed to forbode the entire sub
jugation of the Christian nations.
Pope Callxtus II, terrified at the ap.
palling spectacle presented by the
comet and aroused by what seemed
to be the inevitable fate of Christiani.
ty, directed the maledctions of the
church against the enemies of the
faith, both terrestrial and celestial.
The present return of the comet
takes place under conditions very sim.
liar to that of 1456, inasmuch as It
appears at about the same season of
the year, and traverses nearly the
same part of the heavens. But the
present return differs in many import
ant respects from all preceding ap-
pearances of the comet. 1t approaches
comparatively near. to the earth at
the time of it's conjunction with the
sun, and will actually pass over the
suns disk at local noon in eastern
Asia and Australia.
It's distance from the earth will then
be about 100000 miles. At that
time the earth will be passing through
the comets tail with a relative We
locity of about As miles per second,
and should the tail be 100000 miles
in breadth, the earth would be about
six hours in passing through it.
The question then arises as to what
would be the effect Of the passage of
the earth through the tail of the COM
ct, upon the earth and it's inhabitants?
This Is an important question, and
should be carefully considered, but on
account of our ignorance of the con-
stitution and nature of cometary mat
ter, we are not able to give it def
mite answer.
But If we suppose the tails of COM
cts to be composed of solid incom-
bustible matter as large as bricks or
marbles, it is easy to affirm that the
bombardment of the earth by such
missiles moving at the rate of 45 miles
per second during a period of six
hours would result in the total de-
struction of all organized life upon
our globe. If the cometary matter is
composed of combustible matter, it
would be Immediately consumed by
| fire on entering the earth's atmos-
phere, and the ashes would gradually
fall to the earth without destructive
violence. But If the tails are COM
posed of deadly gases, the effects pro-
duced upon the earth depend upon
the nature and abundance of such gas
es, and it is useless to speculate upon
anticipated effects.
The most recent explanation of the
nature of comets tails supposes them
to be composed of particles of mat
ter SMALLER THAN ATOMS, which
are driven away from the comets
head by the IMPULSION OF FLIGHT
This seems to be the most satisfac-
tory theory of a comets tail that has
yet been proposed. If it is correct it
certainly relieves us from all danger
of physical violence arising from the
passage Of the earth through the COM
cts TAIL for the earth's atmosphere
will serve as a buffer and prevent the
rapid fall of the cometary matter
which would otherwise take place. We
may therefore dismiss the fear of
any great calamity happening to the
earth and it's inhabitants during the
coming passage of the earth through
the .ail of Halley's comet on May 49,
10.
On the MORNING OF May IS we
may expect to see the comets tail e1-
tending from east to west through the
heavens Tor the last time, and on the
EVENING of May 19 we shall see it
similarly extending from the west
toward the east for the first time. The
comet will then pass to the east
through the heavens at the rate of
As miles per second, gradually grow
ing fainter as it recedes from the
earth and sun, but will remain visible
in the evening during the remainder
of the summer, and supply the means
of making important Investigations