Book contents
- Frontmatter
- EDITOR'S PREFACE
- PREFACE
- Contents
- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
- CHAPTER I BELIEFS AND SUPERSTITIONS RELATIVE TO COMETS
- CHAPTER II COMETARY ASTRONOMY UP TO THE TIME OF NEWTON
- CHAPTER III THE MOTIONS AND ORBITS OF COMETS
- CHAPTER IV PERIODICAL COMETS
- CHAPTER V PERIODICAL COMETS
- CHAPTER VI THE WORLD OF COMETS AND COMETARY SYSTEMS
- CHAPTER VII PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION OF COMETS
- CHAPTER VIII PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF COMETS
- CHAPTER IX MASS AND DENSITY OF COMETS
- CHAPTER X THE LIGHT OF COMETS
- CHAPTER XI THEORY OF COMETARY PHENOMENA
- CHAPTER XII COMETS AND SHOOTING STARS
- CHAPTER XIII COMETS AND THE EARTH
- CHAPTER XIV PHYSICAL INFLUENCES OF COMETS
- SECTION I SUPPOSED PHYSICAL INFLUENCES OF COMETS
- SECTION II DO COMETS EXERCISE ANY INFLUENCE UPON THE SEASONS?
- SECTION III PENETRATION OF COMETARY MATTER INTO THE TERRESTRIAL ATMOSPHERE
- SECTION IV CHEMICAL INFLUENCES OF COMETS
- CHAPTER XV SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT COMETS
- I ELLIPTIC ELEMENTS OF THE RECOGNISED PERIODICAL COMETS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
- II GENERAL CATALOGUE OF THE ORBITS OF COMETS
- Plate section
SECTION I - SUPPOSED PHYSICAL INFLUENCES OF COMETS
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 March 2012
- Frontmatter
- EDITOR'S PREFACE
- PREFACE
- Contents
- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
- CHAPTER I BELIEFS AND SUPERSTITIONS RELATIVE TO COMETS
- CHAPTER II COMETARY ASTRONOMY UP TO THE TIME OF NEWTON
- CHAPTER III THE MOTIONS AND ORBITS OF COMETS
- CHAPTER IV PERIODICAL COMETS
- CHAPTER V PERIODICAL COMETS
- CHAPTER VI THE WORLD OF COMETS AND COMETARY SYSTEMS
- CHAPTER VII PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION OF COMETS
- CHAPTER VIII PHYSICAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF COMETS
- CHAPTER IX MASS AND DENSITY OF COMETS
- CHAPTER X THE LIGHT OF COMETS
- CHAPTER XI THEORY OF COMETARY PHENOMENA
- CHAPTER XII COMETS AND SHOOTING STARS
- CHAPTER XIII COMETS AND THE EARTH
- CHAPTER XIV PHYSICAL INFLUENCES OF COMETS
- SECTION I SUPPOSED PHYSICAL INFLUENCES OF COMETS
- SECTION II DO COMETS EXERCISE ANY INFLUENCE UPON THE SEASONS?
- SECTION III PENETRATION OF COMETARY MATTER INTO THE TERRESTRIAL ATMOSPHERE
- SECTION IV CHEMICAL INFLUENCES OF COMETS
- CHAPTER XV SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT COMETS
- I ELLIPTIC ELEMENTS OF THE RECOGNISED PERIODICAL COMETS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
- II GENERAL CATALOGUE OF THE ORBITS OF COMETS
- Plate section
Summary
The great comet of 1811 ; the comet wire–Prejudices and conjectures–Remarkable comets and telescopic comets –Comets are continually traversing the heavens.
In former times when a new comet Avas seen to project upon the sky its vaporous star and plume of light, the first question in the mouth of everyone was, What great calamity does God announce?
Even at the present day people may be heard enquiring what the comet signifies ; but the greater number of enquirers are far more occupied with the physical effects likely to accrue, than with the supernatural import of the apparition. Do you think we shall have a warm and dry summer? is the question of some. Are we to anticipate foggy weather, heavy rains and inundations? ask others. It announces an abundant harvest, or a superior quality of the year's wine, is gladly remarked by those who have-not forgotten the comet and the good wine of the vear 1811
In a word, people readily believe that the passage of a comet within sight of the earth must be followed by certain consequences of a nature to influence not only the climate, temperature, and vegetation of the latter, but likewise the health of animals and man, for I have forgotten to say that the influence of comets upon the production of epidemics and other maladies was formerly an article of popular belief.
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- Information
- The World of Comets , pp. 495 - 498Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010First published in: 1877