The Daily News. TUESDAY, MARCH 15.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 339, 15 March 1910, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, MARCH 15.

HALLEY'S COMET. Everyone, we should say, is more or less conversant with the fact that, according to astronomers' time-tables, Halley's famous comet is about due to come into view of the earth after a 66 years' journey through invisible ■space. Nothing in the vast realm of aitronomy could bring home to the inhabitants of the earth the wonderful strides made in astronomical science than the charting oi' the unseen heavens to an exactitude that can herald the approach of this interesting leavenly body on one of its perodically recurrent voyages. The awe with which the appearance of unusual bodies of any magnitude in the heavens have been regarded by the superstitious and ignorant from time immemorial, though not now universal, thanks to the spread of knowledge, is still in evidence, or, at least, soon would be were credence given to alarmist opinions such as have recently been disseminated by the French astronomer, M. Camille Flammarion, who recently announced that "there is possibly considerable danger in the approach of the Halley comet, which may gravely affect the earth on May 18," when the visitor is expected to be nearest to the earth in its transit. The most eminent of authorities, however, have hastened to assure the nervous that they need anticipate no inconvenience. As "Tohunga" in the New Zealand Herald puts it: "The coming of .Ihe comet, so far from being a distur'o-

mg sign is an assuring sign—assuring us of astronomical soundness, guaranteeing to us a certain permanence of the earth, which is our home among the stars. The comet is a token set in the skies lhat no dangerous rock lies in the fairway of our ship; it is a pledge which all may read to bid us remember that the earth will not be destroyed without warning to civilised man, for it moves in an ordered path, as does the billiard ball on the table, tlfe tennis ball in the court, the golf Tball on the links. If a -man knew all the conditions which could affect its movement, he could tell to a nicety what the moving billiard ball, or tennis ball, or golf ball would do. The visible fact that astronomers could tell us with approximate correctness where the Halley comet would be after 66 years, and when it would show itself, and the direction to look for it, is absolute proof that they have charted our corner of the universe, and have left out of their calculations no greatly disturbing factor. In other words, brethren, the proclaims to us that no great masses of lighlless matter are hurtling in our vicinity, and tells us that we shall have notice of such dangers long before it reaches us." MoTe to the point, however, is a correspondent of the New Zealand Times, H.V. Blaramberg, who, in contesting M. Flammarion's theory of the possible collision of the comet with the earth, can hardly conceive that a man of his re„pute would be incautious as openly to express such startling views even had he reason to entertain them, and in mere 'wantonness create a world-wide panic among timid folk. It is further alleged that another astronomer, M. Eduard Chaueljp, has since predicted a contact of the appendage with the earth at the same time that the head of the comet will dive into the sun and create .general chaos. What astounding nonsense! Assuming a solid mass, even of verv considerable volume and weight, a little calm reflection will show that an actual meeting could take piace only when the aggressor moves within the plane of the .sun's orbit, for since the sun speeds through space with an immense velocity, a body which approaches it at any given moment in a .direct line would, in the next following, either be left far behind or speed on in advance and gradually deviate from the right line. In this way, however, its position in relation to the sun is chansed to the oblique and its matter will necessarily be carried off by the sun's atmosphere, thrown back into sipafce and rendered harmless, since most of the heavenly bodies possess in their vaporous wrappers an armor which, to officious intruders, is pretty nigh impregnable. What happens when two planetary bodies of very unequal bulk clash in their paths may be seen on any fine night in the fireballs and shooting stars. These are small planetary bones varying in size from that of a pea to one of several tons' weight which, with a speed of from 16.40 miles in the second, have entered the circle of the earth's attractive influence. Their speed lessens with wonderful rapidity as soon as an altitude of fifty or sixty ■ miles in our atmosphere is reached and in a direct ratio to their speed, that is, the greater the quicker, they become luminous and by far the greater number of them are converted into gas and dispersed long before they have reached the plane of the highest mountains. Only the kernels of the larger and islower meteorites reach the solid surface of the earth, and that only by the momentum of their own gravity obtained from the point of complete interruption of their planetary motion, with a celerity 30 great that the motion 01 a cannon-ball is but a snail's pace in comparison. The atmosphere, the upper layers of which are extremely rare, and whose particles on that account require a much longer time to diverge, is pushed forward and compressed by the meteor with irresistible impulse, so that Try friction and reaction sufficient heat is developed to convert the mineral matter into iuminous gas, and thus ckeck and destroy it either completely or partially in a few seconds. Now, if this happens with bodies of, in our estimation, pretty considerable volume in our protective covering measuring but a few miles, what an enormous mass would be required to penetrate the sun's shield of from 20,000 to 30,000 miles in thickness and with such force as to impart increased rest to his centre b.v the collision. It thus becomes impossible to accept the suggestion of M. Chapelie and those who think with him, and charge the comet with so much destructive energy as would inevitably involve the decay of the whole solar system. As regards any danger to life on our planet through contact with the comet's tail, that suggestion need not in the least disturb our composure, and may be at once dismissed. On May 22nd the comet's tail will be ' projected across the earth's orbit, and j it is not improbable that for a short I period before and after that date until

matters are readjusted, we shall experience trifling inconveniences owing to tke disturbances prevailing throughout tke system. The tails of comets are now known to consist of three or four gases of but a few pounds in weight comparatively. The vqjume of gases contained in the fag-end of this tail must be infinitesimal and their infusion into our denser atmosphere, or vice versa, a liberation of our own gases during the short period of contact, could never be very appreciable and is, moreover, largely safeguarded by the earth's rotation. So much for the callous scare-monger. Beyond the fact that their visits are not mere accident and their habits neither erratic nor vicious, very little is as yet known regarding the real nature of these interesting apparitions. It is surmised, and no doubt with truth, that they exercise important functions as scavengers, vitalizers, and regulators, and as such fulfil beneficient missions in the workings of the great plan of the universe.