The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-07-02 00:00:00

THE COMET.

A brilliant comet made its appearance above the
horizon during the night of Wednesday in last week,
and was visible all over the United Kingdom. It has
been attracting the attention of astronomers for some
time past, having been observed more than a month
ago at the Cape of Good Hope and in South America,
whence, pursuing a nottherly course, it has gradually
risen to a point at which it is visible in these latitudes.
On the 9th of June the Emperor of Brazil telegraphed
to the Institute of France, of which his Majesty is a
member, the result of the observations made at Rio
Janeiro observatory. The approximate figures
supplied by his Majesty enabled Mr. J. R.
Hind to forecast within almost an hour the time at
which the comet might be looked for above our own
horizon. Mr. B. S. Newall, who has a private observa-
tory near Gateshead, saw it at 10.55 on Wednesday
night. It was then nearly due north, close to the
horizon, and about 10 deg. below the bright star
Capella. Even so low down, however, it was a bril-
liant object, easily seen without a telescope. In
London it was noticed by several observers until two
in the morning, when it was lost in the daybreak.
Mr. Hind computes that the luminosity of the comet
is five times as great as when it first appeared in the
South American and South African skies, but this
intensity of light has passed its maximum, and will
gradually decline.

The New York correspondent of the Daily News, writing
on June 25th, gives the following particulars respecting the
Comet :

The principal topic of conversation is the new
comet. The newspapers devote much space to it. It
was first seen here at 3 o'clock on Thursday morning.
One astronomer says he saw it Meadville, Pennsyl-
vania, at 2on Wednesday morning, One at Dayton.
Ohio, says he saw it at 3.20 on Tuesday morning.
Professor Stone, of the Cincinnati Observatory, thinks
it is not the comet of 1812 because of its not moving in
a southerly direction, but that it may possibly be
that of 1807. Professors Hall and Eastman, at
Washington, think the comet the same as was discovered
by Dr. Gould in South America. Professors Eastman
and Skinner, at the Naval Observatory, succeeded in
getting some fair observations of the comet on Friday
night, although the night was not altogether favour-
able. Professor Skinner describes the comet as having
an extremely bright nucleus, which presented a very
ruddy appearance. The observers did not know
whether this appearance was normal, or was due to
the prevailing atmospheric conditions. Professor
Skinner estimates the tail, which is fan-shaped, at
about eight degrees in length. It was also ascertained
that in twenty-two minutes the comet travelled three
seconds in the arc, and in an hour nine seconds,
giving it a daily rate of travel northward of about
;notion from its position wcoveleTt,Vitfesja
Skinner found that in two days-and-a-quarter the comet
moved about ten degrees. On Saturday morning it
became distinctly visible at 1.45, and could be seen
until the sun rendered invisible all the stars except
Venus. The astronomers at the observatory maintain
their opinion that this comet is identieal with the one
recently observed by Dr. Gould in Buenos Ayres.
Whether it is the comet hitherto known to astronomers
is of course still unsettled. Professor Skinner describes
it as a much finer comet than Coggia's, which ap-
peared in 1874, and brighter than any since that which
appeared in 1843.
Professor Newcomb said that all the observations
made on the comet of 1807 showed it to have a period
of nearly 1,700 years. It seems out of the question,
he says, that under any circumstances the same comet
could have returned in so short a time as seventy-
four years, unless it has passed in the vicinity of
some larger planets which it could not have done.
From Dr. Gould's telegram it may be inferred that
the comet was very near the orbit of that of 1807
when he observed it. Professor Newcomb is inclined
to think that it is a case of two comets moving
in nearly the same orbit, rather than the return
of the same comet. One reason for this is that if it
had been a periodical comet returning every 74 years,
it could not have failed to have been observed on
former occasions, because it would have returned in
1734 and in 1660. In neither of these years was any
such comet observed. The position of its orbit is
such that it could hardly have failed to be seen had
it returned. Professor Henry Draper has photo-
graphed the comet. To obtain such a photograph as
he would like, he said the plate ought to be exposed
for at least an hour, but he had succeeded in getting
an exposure of only 17 minutes. The result, however,
was satisfactory, in so far that it demonstrated. the
possibilities of photographing a comet. It showeci the
nucleus and the coma and part of the tail. He will
try again to obtain a longer exposure. He wishes to
take a larger photograph if potsible, to examine more
carefully the structure of the tail; but the larger the
photograph the more difficult it is to obtain, owing
to the diffusion of the light. If he succeeds in
obtaining two good photographs he will next turn
his attention to its spectrum, which .is much more
difficult to photograph than the orb itself.
Professor Bois, of Dudley Observatory, at Allebuy,
secured a number of valuable observations. He says
that at two o'clock on Saturday morning its appear-
ance both to the naked eye and in a telescope was
magnificent. The head of the comet was very bright,
and the tail thirty or forty broad, extending nearly
20 degrees towards the North Star. The tail
was very diffused and nebulous, spead outs in
fan-like form. Looking in the great telescope
of thirteen inches aperture, a multitude of
details became revealed which are not visible
to the naked eye. The head was there seen to consist
of a condensed nucleus, apparently about as large as
Jupiter seen in a telescope, but of far greater intensity
of light. A spray of brilliant rays spread out from
the nucleus on the side nearest the sun, then turning
backward mingled with the elements which form the
tail. This resembled the jet of a fountain very closely
in its general features. The tail itself extended in a
cu.-col:A.-. Ain mptrien3l37 .D.D.zif, this sun. The whole
field of the telescope was Ailed with glowing
nebulosity. lam inclined to think that this comet
has not been seen before this year, in modern times at
least. It is probably the same comet as seen in
South America. It is now certain !that this is not the
long-expected comet of 1882. It is almost equally
certain that it is not the comet of 1807. The period of
the comet of 1807 is about 1,700 years. Professor
Swift, of Rochester, says the comet grows smaller and
brighter in nucleus, showing that it is approaching the
sun. The head is active, and the tail does not obscure
the stars. He thinks it will be visible several weeks.
He cannot yet determine if the comet was ever before
seen. Great activity is apparent in its head. It rises
earlier every night.