Comets and Eclipses

Shannon News, 27 December 1929, Page 4

Comets and Eclipses

Gemots are luminous and opaque bodies whose motions are in different directions and the orbits they describe very extensive. They have long; translucent tails of light turned fj-om the sun. The great swiftness of their motion in the neighbourhood of the sun is tthe reason they appear to us for such a short time and thle great length of tiane they aire in appearing' again is occasioned by the extent and eccentiicity of their orbits or paths in the heavens.

Twenty-ono comets are supposed, to belong to our solar system, but we only know wihca to expect the return of h,ree. T':o first appears every 75th yearf the second evary 129fchl year and the third every 575th year. This lost will appear again in the year 2225. Its rapidity i? so great that it has been calculated to fly at the rate of 14,000 miles a minute-.

Tthe sun is said to be eclipsed when 'its light is. intercepted by the moon coming direcitly between tihe sun and the earth. This can only happen at the time of the new mooni, berause then the sam and the moon have not the earth between fche.ni. " The eclipse of the, moon,.is caused when the earth /

comes it and the sun, casting, shadow upon the moon which, obstructs the light. This can only take place when the moon is full.