PONS-WINNECKE COMET

Otago Witness, Issue 3510, 21 June 1921, Page 60

PONS-WINNECKE COMET

OBSERVED AT WELLINGTON. NO COLLISION WITH THE EARTH. . WELLINGTON. June 15. Hits morning, at 5.3 J, the i’ons-Win-nc-cke cornet wa* observed at the Hector Ouservutory by Mr A. C. Giiiord, who Kunecquem.y mportcj tun .am i.n internment Astronomer. The comet was at that time near and oil tile western s tde of star eleven Pegasus, moving rapidly south and east, and will to-night be on the east side of tile star. ilns is the first view of the comet obtained in New Zealand. SOME DETAILS ABOUT COMETS. --he Bons-W innecke Comet, so named because it was first discovered by Pons, of Marseilles (in 1813), and later re-discovered by Win nceke, appears about every 5j veins, u has disappointed the astronomers of today, wno expected it to become visible ill lebruuiy, and to collide with tile earth in June. Noi until April 10, however, was it located by an Amo i .m astronomer, Professor Barnard, at the l . rkes Observatory, Wisconsin, and oil.-niutions showed that there would i.e no loib ,• u with the Earth, as .no Comet would pass ilie closing point of the orbit seme ten days before the Earth, iue date of po.uiei. .:i passage is June 11 or 12. During that month the Comet will be within a tew miles of us, but probably not conspicuous A shower of meteui?, however, may fall about June 27. Mr S-riven Billon, the well-known astronomer, dim- m the Illustrated London News, the possible effects of a collision between the Eaith_and a Coiner, such as has occurred more than once in the history of our planet. The question, “If we struck a Comet, what would happen?” was again raised, (writes Mr Bolton) by ilie approach of Wiunecke's Comet on its return join ney to the Sun. In passing Jupiter it was diverted from its usual path by the mighty attractions of that planet. If we passed through a comet’s rail, it is questionable whether we should ever be con-cions of the fact; and even if its properties were of a poisonous nature, no ill effects would be experienced, owing to extreme rarefication. ihe Earth lias passed through many tails ill the past, and probablv through that of Halley's Comet in 1910. A collision with the actual head of a Cornet would, one would think, prove more serious. It is, however, certain that the head is not solid, but may represent a huge conglomeration of small solid meteoric indies, rendered luminous by incessant collisions between them. Probably nothing would happen beyond a meteor shower of exceptional severity. There is no indication to shew that- :he Earth in the ) asi has suffered mater inly through collision with a large celestial body, although we ate correct :i assuming that it lias more than once during- all the ages passed through the head of a comet. Incidentally, remnants of a collision supposed to have occurred about 5000 years ago with a. comparatively small body are found near Canyon Diablo, North Arizona. Ihe site is a huge crater, three quarters of a mile in diameter, scattered for miles around with meteoric iron. It is 600 ft. deep, the walls rising above the outlying plain 150 ft. But for our atmosphere, which stands as a defence against celestial intruders such as meteoric matter, life on this globe of ours would be an uncertain factor. The damage which would be wrought by the collision of a comet with the harth is. as far as we know, averted, since the small solid meteoric particles are^<h- -ipated into vapour before reaching the Kaitn.