The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-11-01
new PLANET Is
HEADED THIS WAY
NEWLY DISCOVERED CELESTIAL
TRAVELLER COMING TOWARDS
THE EARTH MILLION
MILES A MINUTE.

A planet heretofore undiscovered by
astronomers who nightly search the
heavens, has been found by European
scientists.
They claim that it is travelling to-
ward the earth at the rate of sew
cral million miles a minute. Just when
1t will arrive in the copper country has
not been figured out, but from fairly
accurate measurement. the stranger is
said to be only 100000 100000 miles
away.
The new planet has been seen
through the powerful telescopes at
Vienna and Copenhagen. 1t is not
known how close 1t will come to the
earth, but estimates place the distance
at about the same as the nearest star
Most scientists who have learned of
the unnamed wanderer are of the opin-
ion that 1t will never touch the earth.
Should the planet hit us il would be
Ike dropping a natlron off a building
on poor unsuspecting flea Just how
big the planet is has not been comput-
ed, nor is it known how we got the
new body into cur system. 1t is more
than probable that it Is on some rCgu-
lar trip which takes it a few million
years to complete and that it's appear
ance at this time is simply a greeting
of the ages. If this is so it may pass
by the earth again in a couple of mil
lion years or so, in which event, as
tronomers cannot be expected to get
very familiar with il.
The latest bulletin from the Europ-
can observatories carries the encour-
aging news that The planet is nearer
the earth than Uranus and is sweeping
nearer to us at the rate of millions
of miles an hour.
Changes in Heavens.
Those interested in watching the
face of the heavens have perhaps no.
ticed the change which has come about
within the past few weeks in the APP
pearance of the sky. In the east ii
has been growing continually more
brilliant as the bright winter groups
begin their steady upward march. At
the present time the magnificent Tau
ris is high up from the horizon and
covers a large portion of the eastern
heavens. Below this group is the bril-
liant Gemini and orion, both of
which have almost entered the even
ing sky. Next month the bright Dog
Stars will appear and by January Leo
win be in sight The constellation Of
Leo is uhe last of the winter groups.
The Comets.
There are no less than three rather
bright comets which have recently
drawn near our sun. and are now not
far from the earth. The first of these
is the bright comet Brooks. which was
SO conspicuous i'm the Northwest dur
ing the first week of October, but
which has now passed far below the
equator, and will hence never be seen
by us again. 1t is stih visible to those
50 situated on the earth that they can
view the Southern sky.
The second comet, unlike either Of
the two others, remains in the even
ing sky throughout october and the
first part of November, but, unfor-
tunately, it will always be faint, and
can only be seen in a moderately large
telescope. When first found, on the
evening of Sept. %, it was about mid
way between the Pointers OF the Great
Dipper and the Polaris 1t was then
but a little brighter than a star of the
eighth magnitude. During October IT
moved southwark and eastward almost
parallel to the Great Dipper, but al
ways about ten degrees above 1t, reach
ing, by Nov. / a point twelve degrees
due east of Arcturas. Throughout all
Of this time it was quite high In the
northwest i'm the early evening but IT
was very faint. During November 1t
will move almost exactly south through
Bootes Serpens and Libra, thus draw
ing near to the part OF the sky in
which the third comet is to be found.
Toward the end of the month il passes
the sun and enters the morning sky.
The third comet was by far the
brightest and most interesting of ALL
hut unfortunately it remained always
SC very near the sun that 1t could
only be seen with difficulty. This was
first seen in the northeastern sky
about two hours before sunrise. a very
Itlle way TO the east OF lne Drlbh'
star Reguas. During october 1t pass
ed east OF the sun across the constella-
lions Leo and Virgo. During Novem-
Der it will move southwark across LIB
IA and throughout the entire length
Of Scorpio. reaching point thirty de-
Greest below the equator by the end OF
the month. Thus, while it may be de-
tected toward the beginning of the
month very low down in the twilight
glow OF the southwest. just after sun
set. it will always be too near the sun
to be well seen. AS long as II remains
in our northern sky 1t will be fully q
whole magnitude brighter than Brook 4
comet. but 1t will only be found with
difficulty on account of its proximity
tO tho ann