Encke's Comet

1895

A Little Visitor That Travels by a Curiously Regular Time Table.

Encke's comet is one of the best known of the Jupiter group of comets. This group, so far as known, consists of 19 objects, all of which are members of our solar system and are revolving about our sun in orbits of from three and a half years to double that time. The group is so called because there is every reason to believe that these wanderers were intercepted in their path through space by the giant planet Jupiter and perturbed into orbits about the sun, the distant end of which lies in the neighborhood of the orbit of this planet.

Encke's comet is the most noted of this group, having been known to astronomers for upward of a century and having been sufficiently well observed to conform very closely to its computated path. It was first seen by Mechain of Paris on Jan. 17, 1786, and was again discovered by Miss Caroline Herschel in November, 1795, and after a few days by other astronomers. It was again observed in 1805, but none of the astronomers at the time knew of the identity of the objects which they saw. In the winter of 1818-9 it was visible for some seven weeks, and Encke busied himself with the computation of its orbit. In a remarkably short time he had his computations finished and was able to show that it was moving in an orbit of three and a half years period; that the comets above enumerated were identical with it, and that it had approached the sun 18 times in the intervals unobserved.

Encke next computed the time of its return, announcing this date as May 24, 1822, having been delayed on the way some nine days by the attraction of Jupiter, and according to this time table the object was again observed on its return. This computation of Encke's was a most remarkable one, involving as it did some of the most intricate and laborious problems known by the astronomers of the time. — Boston Transcript.

The Tail of A Comet

1895

Its Ever Changing Mass and Why It Flees From the Sun.

The tail of a comet is not formed of the same particles which composed it yesterday or even an hour or a moment ago. It is constantly being renewed at the expense of the nucleus. As the long stream of black smoke from the neighboring factory or mill is being continually renewed by fresh particles of carbon released by the combustion going on in the furnace below, so is the wonderful luminous train of cometery bodies being constantly replenished by particles flying from, of rather driven from, the nucleus by the intense heat of the sun.

Then, again, how infinitely small and how intensely luminous must these particles that go to make up the tail of a comet be! This thought is suggested by the fact that it has been proved that in some cases the nucleus of comets which are only a few hundred miles in diameter will have enormous fanlike tails stretching across space for a distance exceeding 200,000,000 miles and having a bulk exceeding that of the sun by more than 10,000 times! Professor E. E. Barnard beautifully illustrates the formation of a comet's tail by "supposing" thus: "Suppose, for example, that the nucleus of a comet is composed of ice. Then suppose the heat of the sun to be so intense as to rapidly melt that portion of the ice globe exposed to the action of its rays, which are strong enough to immediately convert it into vapor, which ascends toward the sun.

"Imagine now a fierce wind blowing out from the sun, causing the vapor which meets it to be whirled out into space behind the comet. This will clearly illustrate the theory of the formation of a comet's tail, only that the nucleus of the comet is not ice and the vapor is not water vapor; neither is the force which drives it away from the sun a fierce wind."

The unknown force hinted at by the astronomer above quoted readily explains why a comet's tail, as a rule, points in an opposite direction to the sun. The Russian astronomer, Brediechen, distinguishes three different types of cometary tails — those composed of particles having the specific gravity of hydrogen, those having the specific gravity of hydocarbon gas, and a third class having all the peculiarities of an equal mixture of hydrogen and iron vapor. — St. Louis Republic.

Halley's Comet — Editorial

1910

Has everybody forgotten Halley's comet? There was a reaction after the trepidation and intense curiosity aroused by its approach, and now, instead of piling out of bed at unearthly hours of the early morning in the hope of getting a glimpse of it, there are many who would not, for the promise of a good square look at the wonderer, take the trouble of walking across the street. They have seen it once, and so far as they are concerned, it is an old story. Halley's comet is not beyond viewing distance from the earth; yet it cannot be seen. The reason of its invisibility is its nearness to the sun. It sets in the early evening, while the twilight is strong enough to hide it with a veil of light. At the end of the month it will set before sunset. It is further south in the sky than the sun.

—Oelwein Daily Register, Oelwein, Iowa, Sept. 30, 1910, p. 2.

A Use for Grasshoppers

Editorial observations, 1910

A Colorado farmer has gathered 125 bushels of grasshoppers, which he intends to dry, so that they may be used for chicken feed next winter. Since a use has been found for grasshoppers we may expect future crops of them to be failures.

A new comet has been discovered. There ought to be a stop put to this. If the former one brought about all the trouble which has been going on the earth since, we can spare any more of these heavenly mischief makers for some time to come. And those who are looking for trouble and read their answer in the stars should be legally enjoined, at least until the world has had time to catch its breath.

Look over your small change carefully; there are several counterfeit five-dollar bills in circulation.

Owing to the fact that their wives are away for the summer a good many men are almost forgetting how to button waists up the back.

Cincinnati surgeons are to amputate a citizen's six-inch nose. To use a Pittsburgh word, the gentleman really is "nobby."

No picnic can claim to have been destroyed by rainy weather this season.

Another Comet Coming

Nov. 1917

Another big comet is said to be on its way. That is, a scientist claims to have discovered a comet of gigantic proportions speeding through the solar system at a rate of more than a million miles a day, and he promises us that some time this winter it will be visible in the northwestern skies in glorious aspect.

We haven't taken a great deal of interest in comets since the one known as Halley's failed to live up to the publicity it received. It was over-advertised — and disappointing, as all things are that are over-advertised. We lost a good deal of sleep on account of the bluish thing that came into the heavens heralded as a body of magnificent proportions and of great beauty, and we have not been enthusiastic about comets since that time.

Further, the present comet is entirely too far away to arouse our interest. It is said to be something like five hundred million miles removed from the earth, and we have a number of big things much closer than that. However, we do not want to discourage it. Let it come along if it so desires. If it gets close enough to the earth to enable us to hang an excuse for the war upon it, it will be worth something. And if it is so striking in its appearance as to frighten the world into righteousness, it will be the biggest thing that ever strolled through the great unknown that lies about us. — Columbus Dispatch.

Comets Composed Merely of Dust

1911

Editorial Briefs

By an astronomer it is alleged that because comets are composed merely of dust collisions with them need not be feared. Just the same they give the solar system the appearance of needing a vacuum cleaner.

A foot race has been arranged for one-legged men from Minneapolis to St. Louis. And thus the great work of the twentieth century goes on.

Sir Hiram Maxim is still singing the praises of that great American dish — pork and beans. Some of these days the humble and much-abused pie will find an authority abroad who will suddenly elevate it to the heights, and make us ashamed that familiarity and tradition have made us belittle the hidden sweetness and light we have with us.

A jilted Brooklyn man is suing the fickle fair one for the time lost in courting her. She pleads by way of defense a woman's inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness by changing her mind. In face of this constitutional right the unlucky swain has no case. All the courts appealed to on this issue have hitherto upheld this right, which, indeed, antedates everything but the creation.

Busy Stork Brings Fourteen More to Virginia

1909

Busy Stork Brings 14

DANVILLE, Virginia — Two sets of triplets, three pairs of twins and two single babies, born to seven families in the same neighborhood on the same day, is the unprecedented record of Schoolfield, a suburb of Danville, in one day.

Mrs. John W. Yancy gave birth to triplets, two of which are living; Mrs. Jacob C. Brown, triplets, two of which are living; Mrs. J. W. Barber, twins, girl and boy; Mrs. Jane Anderson, twins, both boys; Mrs. P. P. Gridder, twins, boy and girl, and two other women, daughters.


99 Candles on a Cake

WHITTIER, California — Ninety-nine candles, indicating the age of a charming Quaker, Mrs. Lydia Sharpless, blazed on the birthday cake which graced the center of a large table set in the dining room of the Friends' Church. Seventy-five of her descendants were present to offer congratulations to the lady, who clings to dress, manner and speech of the Friends of other days, but keeps informed as to events and movements of the present. She was born in Middletown, Ohio, but have lived in this city for many years.


Please, Mr. Comet, Don't You Kill Us

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island — Frank E. Seagrave, a Providence astronomer, whose calculations relative to Halley's comet have attracted widespread attention, announces that the correction of a slight error in the calculations of the comet has developed the discovery that on May 19, 1910, the comet will reach the same plane as the earth in its orbit. It is thereby determined that the tail of the comet will sweep across the plane instead of clearing it. The earth and comet will meet on the same plane, but not in the same path. There will be a distance at the nearest point of 13,000,000 miles between the two.


16,000,000 Cents Coined

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With a total value of $929,269, there were 16,91,875 pieces of coin executed at the mints of the United States during September. Almost 16,000,000 1-cent pieces were turned out.


If a man is honest, you can always tell it by the way he doesn't talk about it.

Perrine's Comet Misses the Earth

1896

CHANGED ITS COURSE.

The Comet Concluded Not To Hit the Earth.

The fine accuracy with which your modern astronomers can calculate the movements of the heavenly bodies as they whirl onward through space has been excellently illustrated in the case of Perrine's comet.

This nebulous hobo was due to hit the earth today, according to the calculations of some of the leading sky-gazers, and the Scimitar, with its usual enterprise, had made all arrangements to get out a special edition as soon as the impact transpired, containing interviews with some of the prominent citizens of the visiting orb and some estimates about how they stood on the money question. But up to the hour of going to press the concussion has failed to concuss, and The Scimitar is in receipt of heliographic advices from this wandering pilgrim in infinite space that the visit has been postponed, but that it will surely be made as soon as the national democratic committee shall have adopted a free silver platform.

It appears that the comet approached within 27,000,000 miles of the earth and then, tucking its tail between its legs, made a sneak. The comet was discovered by Professor Perrine, of Lick Observatory, on February 13th, but its identity could not be fixed with certainty, as no one appears to have mislaid a comet lately. Without knowing its identity, the astronomers were at a loss as to its habits or condition in life. Professor Leuschren, of California, did some ciphering and concluded that the stranger was an irresponsible gob of atoms, moving toward the earth at a rate of 1,700,000 miles per day and evidently purposing to give this planet a dig in the ribs or an upper-cut on the proboscis. But it now appears that ten days before its discovery the comet had passed perihelion, and a few days after that event made a turn in its orbit and started in a parabolic orbit on its road back into impenetrable and illimitable space. It was at no time nearer to the earth than 27,000,000 miles, and as its tail is always stretched out away from the sun, once it had turned on its orbit it could not touch the earth. There is little danger from the tail of a comet, but one having a nucleus would very likely make an end of things earthly. The chances, however, of any comet striking the earth are always infinitely small.

The danger is also past of the comet falling into the sun, a possibility that had been more than hinted at by some astronomers. This would be a real catastrophe, for all learned astronomers acknowledge that if a comet fell into the sun it would produce such an increase of solar heat people on earth would all be broiled or frizzled or fried up. With this danger staring the world in the face, it seems that if the matter were left to popular vote the people on the earth would elect to have the comet hit the earth and take the attending chances, rather then have it fall into the sun and burn everything up.

Other astronomers who wish, evidently, to reassure the public, claim that in 1861 a comet several times larger than the one now in question hit the earth while traveling at the rate of 10,000,000,000 miles a day and nobody knew it. How they discovered it so many years after they refuse to make plain. But if these astronomers are telling the truth, it places the other astronomers who say that a comet only hits once in fifteen hundred million years in an awkward position. Clearly either one set of astronomers or the other is making a terrible blunder.

Few people have a clear idea as to what a comet really is and for their benefit the opinion of Professor Young is set forth as follows: "A comet is nothing but a 'sand bank,' that is, a swarm of solid particles of unknown size and widely separated, say pinheads several hundred feet apart, each particle carrying with it an envelope of gas largely hydrocarbon, in which gaslight is produced, either by electrical discharges between the particles or by some other light, the evolving action due to the sun's influence. This hypothesis derives its chief plausibility from the modern discovery of the close relationship between meteors and comets."

Another astronomer on the subject of the make-up of the comets says

"It is not a solid body like the earth. It is made up of minute bodies. We might compare it with a dust-cloud. While in size it compares with the earth, there is no comparison with the solidity of the two. So far as we have been able to learn there are no large particles of matter in the comet. They are made up of atoms of dust of iron, nickel or some other metal. Our atmosphere is practically impervious to such a body. Seventy or eighty miles above the earth, where the atmosphere is so rare that the vacuum is almost as good as that of a Crookes tube, there is still enough resistance to disintegrate and destroy a body like a comet traveling with the swiftness with which a comet travels. The particles would become indefinitely fine, no larger than the ultimate atoms of matter. They would ultimately reach the earth." – From The Memphis Scimitar.

–The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, March 16, 1896, page 9.