CONCERNING COMETS.

Bruce Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 41, 26 May 1910, Page 3

CONCERNING COMETS.

" BILL NYE'S" VIEWS.

AN ORIGINAL ESSAY

Tho near approach of Halley's comet has led tho 'Argonaut' to reprint from its files the appended essay contributed to its pages by tho lato "Hill Nye," when tlie comet of 1885 was on its tour in this part of tho solar system. The lamented author treated his ,theme u a highly original manner, and probably no more remarkable article on the subject has ever been printed. It is a characteristic blend oi' facts, fancies, philosophy and humor:— The comet is a kind of astronomical parody on the planet. Comets look some like planets, but they are thinner and do not hurt so hard when they hit anybody as a planet does. The comet was so-called because it bad hair on it, I believe, but of late years the baldbeaded comet is giving just as good satisfaction every wll e re. The characteristic features of the comet are: A nucleus, a nebulous light or coma, and usually a luminous train or tail worn high. Sometime." several tails are observed on one comet, but this occurs oulv in Hush times.

When I was young I used to think I would like to be a comet in the sky, up above the world so high, with nothing to do but loaf around and play with the little new-laid planets and have a good time, but now I can see where I was wrong. Comets also have their troubles, their pcrihelions, their hyperbolas, and their parabolas. A little over 300 years ago Tyclio I3rahe discovered that comets were extraneous to our atmosphere, and since then times have improved. I can see that trade is .steadier, and potatoes run less to tops than they did before. Soon alter they discovered that comets all had more or less periodicity. Nobody knows how they got it. All tiie astronomers had been watching them day and night, and didn't know when they were exposed, but there was no time to talk and argue over tho question. There were two or three comets all down with it at once. It was an exciting time. Comets sometimes live to a great age. This shows that tho night air is not so injurious to the health as many people would have us believe. The. irreat comet oi 'I6BO is supposed to have been the one that was noticed about the time <.f Caesar's death, 41 8.C.; and still, wlum it appeared in Newton's time, 1700 years after its first grand farewell four, i.ke said that it was very well preserved indeed, and seemed to have retained IiII its faculties in good shape.

A late writer on astronomy said that ihe substance of the nebulosity and Liu tail is-of almost inconceivable tenuity. He said this, and then death came to his relief. Another writer says of the comet an.l its tail that the ''•curvature of the latter and the acceleration of the periodic time in the ease of Encke's comet, indicate their being affected by a lvsistinp; medium which has never been observed to have the slightest influence on the planetary periods." I do not fully agree with the eminent authority, though he may be right. Much fear has been the result oi the comet's appearance ever since the world began, and it is as good a tiling to worry about as anything I know of. if we could get close to a comet without frightening it away, we should find that we could walk through it anywhere as we could through a blare of a torchlight procession. We should so live that we will not be ashamed to look a comet in the eye, however. Let us pay up our newspaper subscription, and lead such lives that when the comet strikes we will be ready.