The New Comet

Levin Daily Chronicle, 15 March 1917, Page 3

The New Comet

ONE OF THE LARGEST EVER SEEN.

Some particulars of the comet which is approaching the earth, and will this year be visible to the naked eye, are giyen in the Daily Express. It is one of the largest ever seen and not expected to be visible from the earth again for 60,000 years after its disappearance. It will be known in astronomical circles as "Wolff's Comet, in acknowledgment of its discoverer. Professor Wolff, of Heidelberg, who first saw it on April 27 last.

Dr A. C. D. Crommelin, the astronomer, says the new comet was followed" by telescope from April until July when, owing to the fact that the sun passed' in front of it, it became invisible. It was' "picked up a few days ago by the telescopes of one of the great observatories fin America, and the fact was briefly cabled to Greenwich.

"It is now observed as a morning star," says Dr Crommelin, "but it is visible only through telescopes. It will continually approach nearer the earth until July, when it will become a faimt naked-eye object, but not a grand one, owing to its great distance from the sun. "Its least distance from the earth is one and two-thirds the earth's distance from the sun—that is to say, it is in r outside the earth's orbit, and comets that distance away d'o nofo make .a brilliant display. As the! sun s mean distance from the earth is about 9-2,800,000 miles, the nearest point to the earth that the comet will reach will be about 164,000,000 miles.

"In July," added Dr. Crommelin, "the new comet will be getting away from the sun, and nearer the earth. It will be followed by telescope for a year' after that, until towards the end of 1918. Altogether it will be under observation for about two and two-third, years, whereas lHalley's comet was visible for only one and onethird years.' The comet's, "period"—or time for the round journey—cannot be calculated with nicety until the two and two-third years' observations are complete. The records "may" be useful at the time of the comet's next appearance. Dr. Crommelin thinks that the (50,000 years at present estimated may prove to be about 10,000 yeats out, one way or the other. The great comet of 1882 brushed the sun's corona in passing round the sun, and travelled at the rate of 300 a second. It was" estimated recently in America that the new comet was travelling at the rate of 131 miles a second, or more than 1,134,000 miles a day.