Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-10-16
THE ANTI-SLAVERY BUGLE

Its observed positions are for tbs s,resent Let.
ter represented by an orbit 10 the form of a par.
abola, than by any one Of an e%lliptical figure. The
Comet will soon commence to change direction,
at first slowly, afterward more rapidly, as seen
from tue oarih, when sweeping swiftly round the
sun it will regain those distant regions of space
wherein a vast proportion Of its orbit lies far be.
yond the reach of telescope vision.
On the evening Of the 25th of September, the
appearance OF the comet, IN the great refrac.or of
the Cincinnati Observatory, was ESPECIALLY inter.
esting. The central portion, or nucleus, was ex.
amined with powers varying from one hundred to
five hundred, without presenting any evidence Of a
well defined planetary disc. l. war a brilliant
glow of light, darling and flashing forward in the
direction of the motion toward the sun, and leav.
ing the region behind in comparative obscurity.
But tho most wonderful physical feature present.
cd was a portion of a nearly circular, nebulous
ring, with its vertex direct toward the sun. the
sun, the bright nucleus being in the center, while
the imperfect ring swept more than half way
round the luminous center. This nebulous ring
%resembled those which sometimes escape from a
steam pipe, but did not exhibit the appearance
which ought to be presented by q hollow hemis
pherical envelop of nebulous matter. There was
an evident concentration of light in the central
portions of the ring, while. in the case of a hol.
low envelop, the brightest portion should be at
the outer edge. By miorometrica measurement,
the distance from the central poin. to the circum.
ference of the ring was found to be about nine
thousand miles. This would give a diameter of
eight thousand miles, in case the ring was entire.
Similar announcements p,ada nm A. a.o:-- r.
the Goth Of September, indicate a decided increase
in the radius OF the ring which was now not less
than twelve thousand miles in length. On the
same evening | noticed the fact that the luminous
envelop did not blend itself into the head portion
of the tail, but appeared somewhat to penetrate
into this nebulous mass, espec' ally on the upper
part, presenting the appearance of about 200 de-
grees of a spiral. The tail on the 25th was de-.
cidedly brighter and better defined on the upper
than on the lower portion, while on the evening
of the Goth there was a much nearer approach
to equality in brightness, especially near the head
of the comet. Through the telescope, and near
the head, the tail presented the appearance of o
hollow nebulous ~envelop, under the form Of q
parabaloid of revolution, the edges being bright.
est and well defed, while there was a manifest
fading away of light towards the central region.
Through the vast depth of nebulous matter com.
posing this wonderful appendage the faintest teles.
copic stars shone with undiminished brightness.
No one can gaze on this gigantic object, in all
ITS misty splendor, without, a deep impression that
the eye is resting on a mass of nebulous matter
precisely such as the nebulous theory of La Place
SUPP oses to have been the primordial condition
of our sun and all its attendant planete, and from
which chaotic condition this beautiful system of
revolving worlds has been evoked by the action of
a single law.
The only comet which has presented an no.
pearance resembling the one now visible. is the
one known as Halley's Comet, as seen by Sir vii.
liam Herschel and others, in it's return in 1886.
There is a marked difference between the two
While the envelop of IIalley's Comet is des.
cribed as a hemispherical hollow envelop, this
shows more the shape of u nebulous ring; there
is a faint, misty light, of irregular outline, but
not to be mistaken by even a casual observer.
o. NJ. MITCHELL.
Cincinnati Observatory, Sep. 81, 1858.