Lectures on astronomical theories . have fallen down upon the planetand coalesced with it; an incident which he thinksimprobable, though not absolutely impossible. 2. The action of Jupiter may have thrown the cometinto a parabolic or hyperbolic orbit, in which case it musthave departed from our system altogether, never to returnexcept by the consequence of some disturbance producedin another sphere of attraction. 3. It may have been thrown into an elliptic orbit, hav-ing a great axis and a long period, and so placed andformed that the comet could never become visible ; a sup-position within wh
Lectures on astronomical theories . have fallen down upon the planetand coalesced with it; an incident which he thinksimprobable, though not absolutely impossible. 2. The action of Jupiter may have thrown the cometinto a parabolic or hyperbolic orbit, in which case it musthave departed from our system altogether, never to returnexcept by the consequence of some disturbance producedin another sphere of attraction. 3. It may have been thrown into an elliptic orbit, hav-ing a great axis and a long period, and so placed andformed that the comet could never become visible ; a sup-position within which comes the solution of Laplace. 4. It may have had merely its elliptic elements moreor less modified by the action of the planet, wdthout losingits character of short periodicity; a result which M. leVerrier thinks the most probable, and w^hich would renderit possible that this comet may still be identified withsome one of the many comets of short period which theactivity and sagacity of observers are every year discover-ing. Q.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury18, bookdecade1870, booksubjectastronomy, bookyear1876
