PROFESSOR PTAZZI SMYTH AND THE COMET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6572, 9 December 1882, Page 2 (Supplement)

PROFESSOR PTAZZI SMYTH AND THE COMET.

With regard to the comet seen at Dunecht and JCice, Professor Piazzi Smyth, Astronomer Royal for ScotlanJ, writes to the Scotsman that the information telegraphed respecting it from America is, if correct, of most profound import. "Indeed," he s;>ys, "nothing so important to all mankind has occurred before through ISOO years at least of astronomical history, and there is this prospect of the statement being true, that it is under the name of Professor Lewis 15oss, one of the most able and learned mathematical astronomers of the Union, and wo may say now (such has been the rapid I progress of astronomy during the last few years in that country) of the world. He is said then to have concluded from his observations that the comet of last Monday was the comet of ISSO and IS4.S. A comet on each of these occasions was recognised to have passed closer to the sun's surface than any other known comet. But why lias it come back to soon ? In 1543 it appeared to be moving in an orbit of 170 years, and yet it came back in ISSO, or in only o~ years ! That was st-irtliug enough, though only looked on hy the world as a ease of failure of astronomical prediction. But, having gone oil' in 18S0 on an understanding generally come to by the best astronomers in Europe, North America, Kio Janeiro, the Argentine Republic, and Australia—at all which latter places it had been well observed—that it was not to return before 37 years (and other comets, such as Halley\s and Eneke's, keep to their times of revolution round the sun nearly unifovmh for centuries) behold, this count lias returned now in two years ! In which case, who can say whether it may not be back again from apace in a few months, and then not merely to graze close past but actually fall into the suu, which is so evidently increasing its hold upon it at every revolution ? Wherefore we may be near upon the time for witnessing what ell'ects will be produced when such an event takes place in the solar system as astronomers have hitherto only distantly speculated on. and no mortal eye is known to have ever beheld. But we must be calm, patient, philosophical, judicial ; for the calculations involved are excessively tedious and difficult when much accuracy is required. The whole of the observations, too, require to be gatl-.ered in from all parts of the world, and extensive comparisons of the varying results of diilcrnnt computers have to be made, examined, and discussed with the greatest severity, for how often are there not two appearances very like each other in the immensity of nature, and yet not the same dentical thing?"