| Show 4 i Orbit of a e 9 e I 1 Mysterious Wanderer From the Depths of Space That That Will be Clearly Seen in April FROM InformatIon furnished b by F Prof Gibson of the University of oC Utah The Is enabled to i pre present ent the tho following condensed f account of comets The Tho diagrams of the orbit of oC Halles comet are arc from Crom the January number of oC Popular As Astronomy A I s Tho accompanying figure indicates the progressive stages stacI of oC the comet In its Hs course around the tho sun It will bo be boI I seen that the comet will reach per perI I or Its point nearest the sun nt at atthe i the tho beginning or of Its ILo return journey on onI I Sr 1 about the Orb of oC April The tall K er the comet for sonic some reason not In I I tire 1 clear always points awa away from the tho sun liun The PO position of the earth on April with reference to the sun and the tho comet Is shown h by the small cross at E on the tho of oC the earths orbit The approximate position of oC the comet on that date Is shown by the tho cross at C On or 01 about April 20 0 the tho view of oC the comet comel at Its perihelion promises to he be a good tood one and mo may mayI I I amount to a phenomenon of oC rue rare size i and splendor In the heavens The tall tallor or of Halh s comet has been latown to reach over Oer 60 degrees derees or over oer ono quarter of tho wa way across the visible firmament or more exactly 50 I or of tIm tho distance from the horizon to the tho zenith This was In 1751 There Is reason to believe that the coming appearance just before sunrise In April will be on one a or of rare beauty and Interest According to Prof Young or of Prince Princeton wn ton a comet according to present or of a 3 swarm of solid particles par of oC unknown size say sa pinheads II st veral hundred feet apart each cach par particle carrying with It an envelope or of orI I Ja gas hydrocarbon In which gas gaslight light Is produced either hy by electric discharges between the particles or b by some gome other action duo duoto to the suns Muns y comet as the lh first whose s periodic return was successfully pre The fhe comet returns to our star I about eer every 75 years yea and would return In exactly that tone but for wh what t Is Isi i called the perturbing or of tiro tho thoI planets This means meRn that the force folce exerted by b the planets either hastens or retards the return Thus tf It came near to a planet while ap approaching I the sun Its rate would woold he be berh 1 at first t accelerated rn by the attraction t lt g rh ll h of the P planet l but after c passing a the planet Its rate would he be retarded Should the speed he greatly lessened the comet mayy have 1110 Its orbit and so be captured by our OUI solar system and become a member of It This theOl theory or of the manner mannel In 11 which comets become members member of th the solar system Iy m was first suggested by La Ia Place It assumes that a comet entering the YR y s stem tern tem from an Infinite distance and mo moIn moving In ing In ht a parabolic orbit when It conies comes near to a planet Will be b either r or 01 retarded If accelerated It Its orbit becomes hyperbolic so 0 that It never neer returns for Cor a second A comet whose eccentricity Is unity or 01 orone one Olle has haH a hyperbolic orbit anti and so 0 ulli not nol return to the solar system though thou h hIt It has been drawn Into it Il and has hal swept around the sun Now No the eccentricity or of the tho orbit of Hullo comet Is about 96 j or within 01 or of unity unit Should one of oC the tho ST greater ater planets happen to accelerate Its rate motion enough ellough to cause eue this small change In the tho eo eC c of the orbit comet would be lost to our system Should the comets rate Ite of onward motion b be retarded the orbit will ho be become come an ellipse e and the comet will return at regular coming back always alas through the same flame Alice In hr which the change or of its Ihl rate way wal effected etl Thus nil all our short period comets pass as through though orbit showing their original capture II by the tho groat reat planet and the they are ale spoken or of ofas oras as family of comets SInce a comet have hae Its Ib velocity diminished n second or third time b by coming near to Jupiter the theor theory that Jupiter has captured these planets plan ets els and made them parts of the solar system seems very probable As AR to the supposed dan danger el from comets It ItIs ItIs Is possible that list harm might ml ht be occa if IC the comet actually struck the lite earth Such an event is of cour course e epOl possible pOl hut but could occur only at enor enormous intervals on a I general avera average puts this average Interval at years ears If the particles com compo composing po posing comets cometH weigh tons ton the bom of the earth by I collision with them would ho he n a serious mutter matter If as seems like likely I these particles are on only only ly or of pinhead the result would be simply It a meteoric shower None of oC the thc periodic comets could fall Into the thc sun But n a comet entering the lie solar system from without be bc so accurately aimed that It would strike the sun but It Is not likely thal tha t In such an event the least harm would be done though It might add n a vcr very little ittle to the heat we feel Ceel from the sun for just a few rew hours Yo We undoubted undoubtedly ly b get from comets some gases added to 10 our atmosphere and In this wa way Dr Sterl Sterry Hunt suggests that the tho carbon absorbed from flom our all air by h the of lire life and the crystallization of oC orals ma may be replaced by b vapors do de derived rived from contact with the comets comet weeks bill will wll be All or of a Sudden Peggy Lorch shared the gen Ien general eral prosperity yesterday and was wasell well ell pleased with the heavy hea houses which attended The Lieutenant and I the Cowboy |
