HALLEY'S COMET.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14134, 14 February 1910, Page 6

HALLEY'S COMET.

A GOOD DISPLAY PREDICTED FOR MAY. Mr. A. C. D. Crommolin, of Greenwich Observatory, was the chief speaker during a recent discussion on Halley’s comet at the meeting of tho British Astronomical Association. Mr. Crommolin is the man who; in partnership with Mr. Cowell ut tho observatory, has just won the prise open to tho astronomers of the world for calculations as to the orbit of tho comet. His speech was preceded by ono from the Rev. Theodore E. R. Phillips, of Ashstead, Surrey, who said ho had seen the comet on November 16 through a 12iin. reflector. The president of the society said ho had scon the comet at Greenwich through a lOin. guiding telescope, and found it “absolutely blazing.” Although it was moonlight ho saw a stellar nucleus with very little nebulosity. Ho put a plate in tho camera, and the photograph next day showed the comet to bo about tho tenth magnitude. Mr. Crommolin then described his calculations. In January tho comet will bo pretty near to the planet Mars, and possibly visible with binoculars. By the end of February it will have got too near tho sun to bo visible, , and it will bo -lost for two months. At tho end of April it will bo visible as a morning star. Then came tho interesting nows that for the first time wo shall have a transit of this comet over the sun. Mr. Crommelin thinks it practically certain that there must bo something solid in Halley’s comet, for it could not otherwise have endured the 2000 years it had , boon known and recurred every 75 years. Tho transit will bo visible in Asia and iu the Pacific. The best display of tho comet is ..timed by Mr. Crommolin for tho last ten days in May, after which it will decline with great rapidity.