Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1843-03-23
Foin tho Boston Courier.


NohNs
Yhc streak Of light which has been seen
\ jn the west during the last week, just nfier
sunset, i, the tail of Comet and not the
Zodlacal lipht. The difference between
these two phenomena was very apparent on
Tnesdpy. the 7ih instant. when both were
visible ut the same time. Whilst tho =
diacal tight was almost obscur"i by the light
of The moon, the iall of the Comet was IA
bright as the most brilliant s,rraIners of the
Aurora Bnrcalis. The Comet exientlcd IN II
narrow line of about u degree ~ width to
Gamma E,idyli. was most biiIllln, NJ ~
edges. aud could be- distinctly traced, through
The solar fays, nearly 10 the h"rlzon where
M the II ,dlical light was cone, at which
the vrt,rX was IN tho Plcladrs; the base,
quite lost ~ the brightness near The horizon,
must have embraced an are of at l''nst iwcn
ly degrees, aud The light was strongest near
The axis. The most superficial observer
could not have couloundcd appearances so
dIsrimilar.
The ZodIacnl li.ht has been unusually
conspicuous for the lasi iwo months. II has
been carrfnlly observed AT the Cambridge
Observatory, mud the observations will, in
due time, be published.
\ Mr.. Bond has cxrricd himself 10 OBTAIN
good observations of the comet. lie first
detected the nucleus on Friday evening, but
the clouds, almost Immediately, obseHrrJ H.,
nnd prevented his determining MS posltion.
The following evening, llc succeeded IN
"blainlng n good observation, and II will not
be- his fault if the two additional observations,
necessary 10 calculate its orbit, are not ob.
laincd The nucleus is scnsibly diminishing
IN dislinctnrss aud i, il feared that the small
telescope which he is obliged to employ will
moi be- nf sufficient power. Being uuprovi-
dcd with micro,neters, he is Obliged to refer
! the comet 10 distant stars the uncertainty
of the refraction, which Is very gIca, when II
body is so near the hurizon. will, therefore,
affect hIs results, and materially diminish
their value. II must not. therefore, be cx-
pcctod that with all his skill aud labor, his
observations will rival those which can eu--
/ ly be made with proper equatorial! tcle-
scope.
! This comet was accurately observed, with
in five degrees Of ,h" sun, on the 18th nli..
by Mr. Clarke Of Portland, who states that il
was distinctly visible Throughout the day.
II was seen on the same dny nj noon ~ many
other places, but no one else seems To have
noted It's exact position. II appears 10 have
passed Its perh1liou and To he Trccdng ut
the same time from the earth and the sun.
This Is Indicated, not only by It's apparent
positions, but by the cnrvn'nsc OF the tan us
increased length, and the diminished brlllIan.
cy Of boiI, tho tail and The nucleus. The
apparent lcngil, of the tail on Saturday, was
about a. degrees. so that. if The comet sns
M far from the earth as Tho sun IL, its actual
length could not have been less than seventy
millions of miles. The shnoiing Of light
through ilic whole extent Of the tail has
been noticed 10y several observers. This
Ihcnotncnnn, from Us resemblance 10 The
northern lights. has been snninii,nes ntirlbu.
ted to electricity. Others, again, have
Thought it to arise from the changes in the
cafih's atmosphere; but some ingenious oh
scrvatiuns which have becn made upon this
comet, have given some ground for the belief
that II is merely m optical Illusion. The at.
'cntion OF observers IS particularly called 10
/ this point, be:u1Sc the decision Of the qucs-
,ion docs no, depend upon instruments. II
\ ~ only necessary To determine whether the
ins,au, Of greater bri!lianry IL The same for
different cyes; aud n srrinWs difficulty in the
observation arises from the doubt, whether
the slightest in,imai'"n from ono of the oh
servers does not al1;rt tie vision of hls
nciuhbors Cor it is said that The shoo,lng can
be caused, at any instant. by sudden glance
oi The eye from the head to the inil of The
comet. >. H. NJ.
Cambridge, March u, 1913.