THE COMET.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1241, 5 March 1883, Page 2

THE COMET.

The « menacing comet " which Mr Richard A. Proctor English astro nomor, expected to return early next; year, is not likely to be swallowed up by the sun for several centuries. According to calculations, of Professor Frisby, of the Naval Observatory, Washington, its orbit is an ellipse of such great length that the comet will spend nearly eight hundred years in traversing it This- will be cheering news to timid souls who were afraid the world might b& burnt up on the appearance of the comet, but it is not complementary to Mr; Procter and his calculations. Mr Beverly writes to the'OfcagoDaily Times * r— The orbit of the comet is as nearly as- possible a true parabola,, and not an ellipsis. The- cornet will, therefore, never return to the sphere 6£ the sun's attraction^ r.but will^instead,, pass nexb.into Sirfuat—a journey which: will, it is estiuaate^ occupy it above? half a .million years; ?It will probably |be 2OPjpo.tf. ;4iefore- it reaches oi the sun and that of Sirius. M thedate 6i the last observations the, distance of the comet from the sun was • found to be 2.649, the sun's mean distance being, as is usually' calculated 1 ,. 1. The distance computed fora true parabola at the same date was 2.6488. Who is right, time will prove. >