Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1917-01-11
COMET COMING
THIS WAY
Some History of These Pecu.
liar Wanderers in the
Heavens.

NEW YORK, Jan. 1.-Unless some
thing unexpected occurs the world
will witness next spring a great heav
only phenomenOn-a mighty comet
blazing, forth night after night with
its tail sweeping an immense arc
through the heavens, a source to ter
ror to the superstitious and of intense
interest to all. We may see again, as
we did when Halley's comet returned
i'm 1910. Chinese mobs trying to fright
On away the uncanny visitor with
flaming torches and savage races fall
ing ON their knees in gibbering prayer
TO the supposed deity.
We may even have Absurd scares
among the usually we'll balanced peo-
pie, who believe the tail of the comet
will sweep the surface of our Mother
Earth with devastating effect. The
tenuous nature of all comets renders
them a sonree Of minor danger, az
astronomsrsaagree,a and we have little
to fear from the vast mass of nebulous
msterial. even though enveloped in it.
4Comet b, 1916" is the name OF
the stranger. It is so called because
it was the second comet discovered
this year. Prof. Wolf of Koenigstuhl
detected the rushing body's faint pic
ture on a Photographic plate last April
and proceeded to telegraph the news
TO observatories all over the world
with great joy.
The statement that the new comet
will be a monster rests principally on
the fact thatit was discovered when
fully 400, 600. 900 miles from the earth,
lust within the orbit of the great
planet Jubiter.
All comets inci ease greatly in size
aud brilliancy as they approach the
sun. II such proves to be the case
this time, "Comet B, 1916" should
make great impression. 1t is useless
to 90 out and look for the comet to.
night, as it is now ON the other side
of the sun, whose greater luminance
Conceals it. Earth, sun and comet
have Just passed conjunction. as the
state ia called when the three bodies
are in line.
From now on until May, however,
conditions will become increasingly
favorable for observations. In few
months the comet should be visible tc
the naked eye in parts of the eartt
suitably situated.
At present the comet;is approaching
the earth at rate of more than 9
million miles day, but not in dl'
rert line. In the month of December
it's distance from the earth decreased
by nearly so, 600, 000 miles, astronom
els calculate.
It is now situated in the, sky just
north of the constellation Libra anc
about 115 degrees northwest of the up
ne, end of the Scorpion. These con
stellations are near the sun. appearing
in the early morning houis just pre-
ceding sunrise.
On Jan. the comet wild still De
more than 800, 900, 900 miles away. IT.
perhelion passage, or nearest approacc
to the sun il due next June. The patti
of the comet has not yet been accu
rately plotted, bat dozens OF astrono
'mers are working on it with COMPLEX
tables and extensive mathematical
calculations.
While comets which make name
for themselves are few, the telescope
records a large number. Some o.
them are old frields paying us another
visit These are called periodic com
cts. They arrive more or less on scoe
dule time. Their periods OF journey
about the sun are in some cases hun
dreds or thousands of years in length
Donati's great comet Of 1858 take
.. 900 years to return to the same spo
after its journey over great e'onga
ted ellipse.