MR R. A. PROCTOR ON THE COMET.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1218, 10 January 1883, Page 2

MR R. A. PROCTOR ON THE COMET.

The ' Illustrated London News ' of the 21st October gives an interesting paper by Mr R A. Proctor on the comet, with diagram illustrating its orbit which closely approximates to that of the . comet of 1843. From observations made at Vienna, he concludes that the comet is retreating on a path which it will circuit in less than a year, whether it be the one of 1696, 1843, and 1880 come back or not. His opinion of its final destination is accompanied by a declaration that its absorption by the sun will not do us any harm. He says : — It seems certain then (if we can depend on the Vienna observation of the 24th), knowing, as we certainly do, that the comet was at its nearest to the sun on 14th September, that before many months are over we shall see it back again, to return in ever-narrowing circuits, and ever- shortening periods, until finally it will circle round the sun in a few hours, to be constantly retarded by frictional insistence, but accelerated in greater degree by resulting inrush towards the sun, until finally each portion of its substance reaches the sun's surface with a velocity of about 260 miles per second. That surface is itself moving in almost exactly contrary direction, with a velocity of a little more than a mile per second. There will then, in all probability, be considerable disturbance, but although the idea is now utterly exploded that come;s are mere films of vapour, the total mass of the comet thus destroyed is, I conceive, too small, for any such increase of heat to be produced as will seriously trouble the inhabitants of the earth.