Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 September 1879 — Comets. [ARTICLE]

Comets.

The comets on record exceed 800 What are called “ short-period ” comets are: Encke’s, whose time of revolution is 5± years; De Vico’s, s|; Winnocke’s, si; Brorson’s,Bi; Bida’s, 6£; D’Arrest’s, Faye’s, Mechain’s, 13£; Hallev’s, 76f. The long-period comets are those of 1680, whose time of revolution is 8,814 years; that of 1744, 122,683 years; of 1870, 75,314 years; of 1811,3,000 years; of 1840, 13,864 years; of 1844, 102,050 years; of 1847, 13,918 years; of 1858, 12,000 years; of 1860,15,864 years. Bielas’ comet divided into two parts in 1846, and in 1852 those parts were 1,250,000,000 miles apart, and had entirely disappeared by 1866. Coggia’s comet was discovered in 1874. It is non-periodical and was 133,000,000 miles from the sun when discovered. In July of that year it was within 62,000,000 miles of both earth and-sun, and its tail was computed to be 12,000,000 miles in length. Donati’s comet, discovered in 1858, had a tail 40,000,000 miles long, and its main body very nearly collided with Venus. Although supposed to be vaporous, this comet was calculated by M.. Faye to have the weight of a sea 327 feet deep and 40,000 square miles in extent. Halley’s comet has been identified as identical with the comets of 1531, 1607, 1066 and 1223. Its reappearance is prognosticated for 1912. Gucke’s comet possesses no tail, usually. In 1848, however, it presented two tails, one toward and one from the sun. Lexell’s, or “the lost comet,” was caught or entangled among the satellites of Jupiter in 1770, reappeared in 1779, again became entangled, and has not been seen since. The superstitions of all times and nations have regarded the appearance of comets with dread, as being omens of disaster. The spectroscope fails to show their chemical composition. It was shown by Schiapavilli, in 1872, that comets are sometimes connected with meteoric showers, and his discovery has been indorsed by noted astronomers. Lycho Brahe discovered that comets are extraneous to our atmosphere, and Newton that they are subjected to the same principle which guides the planets.