Washington, D. C., 1884.
A THEORY OF COMETARY PHENOMENA.
To the, Editor of the Scientific American:
The following subject, substantially, was written more than a year ago with a view to its publication. It was not, however, until January of the present year that I sent a brief communication to the Brooklyn Eagle, which was published Feb. 3, giving my views in relation to cometary phenomena. With this I might remain satisfied, were it not that the interesting paper by G. D. Hiscox, published in the SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN SUPPLEMENT, Feb. 16, impressed me with the idea that the theory I advanced might assist in explaining others, if brought to the notice of those interested through the columns of your valuable journal.
The theory that I advance to account for the several phenomena relating to comets' tails is, that comets are non-luminous, transparent bodies; that they transmit the light of the sun; that the transmitted light reflected by the particles of matter in space constitutes the tails of comets. "Like causes produce like effects." By contraries, then, like effects must be produced by similar causes; for, if an effect produced by a cause which is known is similar to an effect produced by a cause which is not known, the cause which is known must be similar to the cause which is not known. This is true or not.
I submit the following experiments to substantiate the theory advanced.
Partially fill a vial or a tumbler with water, hold it by the rim, and move it around a lighted candle placed upon a table. A shadow surrounding the transmitted light will be cast upon the table. As the tumbler approaches the light, the shadow follows the tumbler, and when receding the tumbler follows the shadow; and as the tumbler is moved around the light, the shadow will swing round from one side to the other. If the tumbler be held so that a puff of smoke can be blown into the transmitted rays, the particles of smoke will reflect the transmitted light, and will illustrate my idea of what constitutes a comet's tail. A dark band may be observed in this stream of light, as also in the light cast upon the table.
In these experiments, we see the effects produced by a cause which is known; the effects are similar to those observed in the tails of comets, the cause of which we do not know; but is it not reasonable to assume that the cause is similar?