HALLEY'S COMET.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 794, 18 April 1910, Page 7

HALLEY'S COMET.

NOW VISIBLE HEREOBSERVED BY REV. DR. ' KENNEDY. ITS TAIL AND OUR EARTH. Halley's Comet is now visible fron Wellington with the naked eye. It was seen by the Rev. Dr. Kennedy from St. Patrick's, College on. Sunday morning at 5.5 a.m., rising behind Mount Vic- ' toria, almost in a vertical line below Veruis, .which is now a very brilliant. . morning star. The head of the comet . was as bright, as a star of the fourth v.; magniture; the tail appeared very' iy faint to the naked eye, but could be - seen quite distinctly -through an opera*glass or small telescope. The comet' will continue' to grow brighter every morning until May 19, when it f will cross the sun's disc. At present it is about 120 millions of miles from- tko earth, but they are rapidly approach- ' ing each other at the rate< of about' three millions of miles per day. When the comet passes across"'the sua on. May 19, its head will be' l about fifteen millions of 1 miles away, and its tail, being then directed away from the sun, will probably envelop the earth. On May 20 the comet will be in its nearest position to the earth, being then only fpurteen miles.away. The, following, i vory interesting table kindly supplied by Dr. Kennedy, shows the times. of'Hsirig of the comet and the sun at (Wellington, also the distance of, the comet,. from April 18 to May 30:— ' ■'»!' Distanceof . Comet from . - .. the Earth. ■, . . Com«t . Sun Millions , / . Date. rises, rises." of miles . a.m. a.m. April 18 4.27 6.22'' v 118 April 19 : 4.23 6.23 ■■.■lls April 20- US 6.24 112 . April 21 4.14 6.25 108 ' April 22 4.10. 6.26 105 •-i.April-.23 4.6 . 6.27 • 102 i April 24 4.2 6.28 ■ 99. ' April 25 3.58 6.29 95 . • 'April 26 ,3.55 ;G. 31 . - 91' •: " ■ : April 27 ......... 3.51 6.32 S3 ' April 28 , 3.47 ■ 6.33 65 April 29 3.46 6.31 81 ; April 30 3.43 6.35 71 . May 1 3.41 '6.36 73 ' May. 2 3.38 - 6.37 70 - '. May 3 • 3.38 6.38 G6.' . ■-'■ May 4 ■ 3.37 6.39 62. . May 5 3.36 6.40 59 May 6 3.34 G.il 56 May 7 3.35 6.42 ■52 ' May 8 ......... 3.36 G. 43 .48 . ' ''.May. 9 3.3" 6.44 .45 ■ '-Mdy.,lo 3.40 G. 45 41 May 11 3.44 • 6.46 ' 37 May 12 3.48 6.47 34 , < May 13 ?.57 G.4S 30 '• May 14 4.9 6.49 27 ■ May 15 4.2S 6.50 24 May 16 4.48 6.51 21 May' 17 5.17 6.52 18 . May :18 ........V . 5.58 6.53 "16 ' . May 19 6.49 6.54 .15 On May' 19 the comet will pass across' .v the sun's disc between 1.50 and 2.50; ' p.m., and after that date will appear- .■ m the, western sky. after sunset'. .' . ' ■ Distanceof -- Ciiact from ■ ■ ~ : the Earth. Comet Suns Millions ■": Date. .sets, sets, of mites p.m. p.m. -.'■■ , . May 20 4.39 5.48 14 j.j May 21 ......... 4.38 - 6.32 . 15-; " : ' May 22 4.37 7.33 18 May 23 4.86 7.55 18 ■• May 24 . 4.36 9.27 21 j "'May, 25 ......... 4J5 '10.0 24' f May 28 435 IQJ9 27 . May 27 -. 4.33 10.22 30 ■ May 28 4.83 10.33 34 May 29 4.32 10.38 37 May 30 ' 4.32 10.44 41

"A VERY BRILLIANT OBJECT." . VISIBLE TO THE EYE. Mr. G. V. Hudson, of Karori, one. oi ; our . most ••• enthusiastic, ■. observers, has picked up Halley'a comet. He reports as follows : "I.picked up Halley's comet at 4.54 this (Sunday)'.morning. > ;It was then • just clear of the hills on the: north-east t . side of,the harbour,.and clearly visible ■'■■■■ to the naked eye. Its brilliancy was' about equal to a star of 3i magnitude, and the tail .was easily seen as a faint . streak. It was,well seen in a one-inch ■ !'finder," : and a .good binocular.'would -'i pTe-SB>foe'-v'view.V."li';-a.--.fotiMnoli telescope the comet was a very, brilliant ; object/- The nucleus was well, oon- • • densed, and the. .corona and fail wero . very -. distinct.- , The; position. ■' vraa estimated, at right, ascension 23 _ hours ■ 55 minutes, and north declination 7 degrees' 55 minutes. The comet could :, noti bo seen with the naked eye. after 5.26 a.m., but,; with the telescope, it was clearly, visible until 5.53 a.m., and , was 'finally lost : in tho daylight at 5.66 < > • a.m. This indicates a very great increase in brilliance Binoe April 13, when the comet was first seen at the Wanga- .; . nui Observatory." ITS EFFECT ON THE EARTH. ALMOST INSIGNIFICANT. ' -... ..• (By Teleerapli.—Special Correspondent) . '• - Wanganul, April 17. . Mr. J. T. Ward, director of ,tho ■ ' , Wanganui Observatory, informed a local ? i pressman that Halley's comet was now coming rapidly into \near view, and, bo- •■ ■: fore long, should be a very . striking .. object. The mmet's daily rate of travel, ' says Mr. ,Ward, is over'three .million ■ •••>. miles", and, at its nearest approach to the earth, it would be only some 14 million miles distant, while it would pass Venus about 10 million miles away.. It promised to develop a ■ good tail, which would probably oe 19 or 20 mil- 1 - lion miles long. ■" ' '

A'sked as to what would be the probable effect upon the inhabitants'of this . planet should it have to pass through.. : v the comet's tail,' Mr. .Ward said, jokingly, that that would perhaps cause ; same little mental exhilaration, but,' : he added, "How littlo that will, be 'you '■. r can judge by the fact that it will have about as mucheffect on us as a spoon-' ful of whisky in a 400-gallon tank of water would have on a seasoned toper." ■' ANOTHER OBSERVER. WHERE TO LOOK FOR IT. , writes:—"lt sbould bo generally known that Halley's comet was plainly visible to the unaided eye at 4.40. . this (Sunday) morning. An ordinary opera or field glass makes this interesting his-, : torical comet'-a very 'beautiful object;. The line of sight from, say, junction of - Molesworth Street and Fitzherbert Terrace passes over the northern end of Somos Island to the summit of the main ■ range near where the sun rises."

VISIBLE AT CAPE TOWN. (Rcc. April 17, 5 p.m.) ) Cape Town, April 16. " HaDey's comet is visible to the naked eye at Cape Town.