Lecture on Halley's Comet

Horowhenua Chronicle, 6 May 1910, Page 4

Lecture on Halley's Comet

HV WELLINGTON AUTHORITIES Halley's comet received much attention at the meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society last Wednesday, three speakers delivering interesting loeturettes upon. it. The "Now Zealand Times" reports hi the course of his presidential address, Mr A. Hamilton said that the comet was generally regarded as one which had made many brilliant visits at various dates. He quoted from the "Saxon Chronicle" in which the visit of 10(5(3 was recorded in quaint language, and also alluded to one of the first coins struck by William I. on which appeared a star considered by authorities to be a representation of the comet. What was described as the human ■aspect of the subject was presented by Mr Thomas King, who remarked that the wealth oT material at hand was so great 'that it was embarrassing to know what to leave out. The interest in the comet, ho said, did not lie in its brightness, its size, or its physical nature, but in the human associations that its very name suggested. Had it not been for Halley, the most important of scientific discoveries might never have been heard of. His influence upon Newton resulted in the hitter's proceeding with and solving one of tlio greatest of problems. With the aid of diagrams ami lantern slides the speaker explained the methods followed by astronomical observers prior to Halley's time, dealing at length with the steps leading to the great riscovery. Slides were also used to illustrate the pa'th of the comet through space and the impression it had produced upon rarious observers.

The Rev. T)r Kennedy dealth with tlu' physical constitution and changes of comets, remarking that though some things pertaining to them were now known with groat certainty they at the same time presented problems oi' the most difficult nature. Comets were attracted to and also repelled by the sun, they shone with a, reflected light and with their own light 'as well, hut the reasons I'or these Mings were not yet fully known. With this by way of preface, the speaker presented and explained an excellent series of photographic slides of the comet which had been taken by himself at the Meanee Observatory quite recently. In dealing with some previous appearances he meiiltioned that the mass of comets was so small that astronomers had not "been able to measure it. This fact was expressed in the somewhat exaggerated statement that if a comeit was properly packed it could be put in a waistcoat pocket. It was certainly true that comets, enormous though they were, wore no greater in mass than some of .the smaller asteroids, which were not more, perhaps, than ten miles across. The tail of a comet was particularly attenuated, the rarefication of the gas at the ex'tremeties being greater than anything which could be produced with the vacuum pump. There was, therefore, nothing at all to fear W'hen the earth passed through the tail of Halley's comet later on this month.

Mr C. F. Adams was also to have .spoken mi an other aspect of the matter, but as the hour was late his remarks were postponed until the next meeting. Tt was announced that in all probability Professor Biekerton, of Cliristchurch. would deliver a paper on a somewhat similar subjeot later in the esssion.