The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1858-08-24
rae Great Comet Come as Last.

/
/ We learn from our dispatches by the Arago
that the great comet Of Charles ", as it 10 some.
1 times called. but better known to astronomers
as that Of Fabricius, has at last made it's appca
rance, and viii very shortly be visible 70 the
naked eye. II has been seen from the Paris
Observatory through its telescopes, and is pro-
| nounced BY Arago the genuine article. sharp
lookout for il has been kept up for year or two
past BY the European comet seekers. IL is not
yet known whether il will appear as it once did,
| like very bright and large star. or with tail
100 degrees in length. The curious hope that
it will its "wondrous tale unfold" Its first ap-
pearance was in 1264, and its disappearance
took place on the I'd Of October Of that year,
the day on which Pope Urban Nv. died, as the
world thought in strange coincidence. In 1866
it re-appeared and was observed BY Paul Fabri-
cius, astronomer to Charles ", who executed
map Of it's path, which was published in No
vembcr Of that year. The Emperor considered
it as a special omen of his own approaching
death; but he lived for some years afterwards.
1t was then described as great and brilliant
star. Its course was Through Virgo and Booses
past the pole of the heavens into Cepheues and
Cassiopea." The celebrated DR.. HALEY calcu-
lated its elements more than century after
wards, and several others after him. The cal
culations of Mr.. BONNIE, Of Middleburg, Of the
Netherlands, Of recent date, are more precise,
and are generally supposed TO be more reliable
than those of his predecessors. This astrono-
mer finally came to the conclusion that in the
year 1864 its ellipse had period Of llo,644
days, or 302922 years, expedited by planetary
disturbances by 4,O77 days, and that in 1856 its
mean motion corresponded to period Of 3os.-
l69 years. Its present revolution he calculated
would be shortened by perturbations 10.4S
years, and the comet should reach its perihelion
about the I'd Of August, 1858.
Mr.. Hind, the great English astronomer, does
not or did not entirely coincide with NJ. BONNIE.
He wrote to Professor Lttrow, director of the
Observatory at Vienna, urging him to search
for the original chart Of Fabricius. This was
accomplished, after considerable exertion, thro'
the medium of the newspapers, and with it was
obtained, very unexpectedly, from the ducal IL
braiies at Wolfenbuttel and Gotha, adescrptive
treatise by the Nuremburg astronomer, Joachim
Heller, who had observed this very comet for
fifty three days-much longer time than.Fabri- |
cius had taken for his observations. Thus
more complete elementary series was obtained. |
Mr.. Hind thereupon modified his own views, |
concluding that the comet would hasten its re
turn, for several reasons of an astronomical ma.
ture. and that its re-appearance was near at
hand. This, then, is the month during which |
the comet of Pope Urban and Charles V. should |
probably make its appearance. According to
our latest advices, as we have already mention |
ed, it has appeared to the French observers, and
will soon be visible to US, with its long TAIL if it
has not dropped off in its last journey.