WHAT IS A COMET?

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 4, Issue 200, 19 July 1860, Page 3

WHAT IS A COMET?

“ Amid the radiant orbs That more than deck, that animate the sky, The life infusing suns of other worlds, Lo ! from the dread immensity of space Returning, with accelerated course, The rushing comet to thesundescends.” Thomson .

While wandering, a few evenings ago, amid the sand-hills that skirt JEanganui, my attention was suddenly attracted by the appearance of a pale feathery-tailed stranger, who had unexpectedly shown himself in the constellation ‘‘ Cancer,” just above St. John’s Wood. A prolonged observation very naturally brought on a fit of abstraction, and musingly I inquired of myself, “ What is a comet ?” This question was again and again reiterated, but the brain could not solve it, and speedily sank into a deep and absorbing reverie. While in this state a low sigh, like that of fast-ebbing mortality, fell gently and soothingly on ray ear, and I distinctly heard, “ Speak, child of sin, redeemed of the Son of God.” And the answering words came slowly to my lips, “ Heavenly wanderer, whence contest thou ?” And the voice replied, “ I came from the depths of space, and have visited innumerable systems and, worlds, peopled by sentient and intelligent beings who worship the great Creator.” “And whither goestthou?”—“l return to them again to illustrate the power and wisdom of God.” “ Thy purport ?”•—“ The hand that formed aDd created thy planet created it not in vain (Isaiah xlv. 18); he formed it to be inhabited; and thy gorgeous sun, thy pale moon, and thy beauteous earth, which will one day receive thee into its cold bosom, were all formed for good, not for ill; and when thy body shall .have resolved itself into the elementary substances from which it sprang, and thy soul shall have clothed itself in immortality, then that which thou canst not now comprehend shall be made apparent to thy spiritual vision, and thou shalt know the purport of my visits!” While deeply pondering over these words, the axial rotation of our world caused the comet and its attendant constellations to sink low, and finally disappear in the western haze, and a solemn stillness ensued, for mortal man could not add another question ! The dream passed away, but the words remained indelibly fixed, and could not be contradicted.' Science, throughout many centuries of study and meditation, has in vain sought to ascertain the purport and constitution of these mysterious visitors, and doubtless their purport, though unknown to us, is good. After a careful perusal of “Notes on Comets,” from the year 400 B.C. up to the present period, it would appear that a considerable number have been observed, and the orbits of many have been ascertained. “ Pengre,” “Dunthorne,” and latterly “Hind,” have selected one in particular, and the results of the calculations of the latter astronomer have been, that the celebrated comet of 1556, which caused so much terror to Charles sth, would again visit us between the years 1858 and IB6o—its mean period being 300 years! Its first recorded visit occurred AJD. 975, when it remained visible for 83 days; then in 1264, when its duration exceeded three months, and it disappeared the same day Pope Urban 4th died; and again in 1556, when it equalled in magnitude one-half of the full moon, and its fearful aspect caused the greatest terror!

But as the elements of these strange bodies jftre based on very uncertain data, it is difficult to state whether this is the long-expected comet, or a stranger, never before seen by man, as was “ Donati’s,” the well known comet of November, 1858. With regard to the physical features of these singular bodies, the light emitted by them has been tested by the ,** Polariscope,” and ascertained to be “ polarised by reflexion.” The natural conclusion we may arrive at is, that they are not selfluminous, butj like the planets, they shine by reflecting the solar light; and although they have occasionally passed very near the smaller bodies in our planetary system, they have never impressed any palpable or measurable perturbation on them, and their feeble and inappreciable density deprives them of the power of producing any serious injuries, by introducing into our atmosphere any substances which might influence the safety and welfare of the organic races, to whom it is essentially and indispensably necessary.— Communicated.

[lf the comet now visible is not the one referred to above, and is not a stranger, it is likely to be the one discovered on the 26th June, 1846, by M. Peters at Naples, and afterwards observed at Rome by De Yico, continuing visible till the 21st July, whose reappearance \ye do not remember to have seen recorded. It is supposed to have an elliptic orbit with a period of from 13 to 16 years, the precise time not haying been ascertained on account of some uncertainty in the observations. It is one of the 13- comets which are known to revolve within Saturn’s orbit.}