New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-11-10

stance or the SIDE ~ the nnslels neI. he lfo
great comet Of the present year undoubtedly takes
fre,po., rank in respect Of the multiplied and mcss
curos changes which Il has exhibited, and especially
in the complete illustration which i has afforded q the
origin instruction aud final dissipation OF sacces-
sio, Al envelopes In these phenomena, The process
OF ,he formation Of ne tai from the substance in inn
neds,e contact with the nucleus Is intimately coz
cerreC The astronomer, night by nisot, sees ,he
work e evolution going on with an ama,nS rapoHy'
and sceming " in defiance OF t1e pep
The resn.s are evident 20 all. but The secret cause
profound mystery admirably calculated 20 stimulate
speculation and iutelhSen; investigation.
A. recarls the motion OF comets III seare, u
welLosiahisAed fact. so far our p-esnt means p"
observation extend, that iheiy nuclei alone move "a
Obedience the attractive fore. OF the sun snd psar
cts. This property watch hss been 'ecogniIef w,'i
consistency and uniformity, is no, the least singnS
pecuhaity Of their Constitution. Immense Holoaes @
matter, apparently of the Identical substance q "a,
nucleus go ~ compose the enveloping nebulosity spa
tie tail bat from toe moment of leaving the Central
body their motion Is perfectly inexphcable without
s,sumiI taem Ia be under the iniaeace Of laws -
force which greatly modify that Of gravitGtion.
The shape 4 tie c0metaTy orbits, described about
the SUD, Is nearly that ~ a paraoola or OF an eior-
gated elEpse, with periods Of revolution NapIns
from few years ~ many centuries. The point IN TIE
crbi. Nhchs nearest the is called tie perhelon,
Il distance OF this pom; from The sun, the perihehon
distance. and the time OF the comets passing y, the
peIiheion passage.
Of Its greatest hriiaUcy. Is included between Sept !"
and Oct. 10. IL had, however, been detected b.
astronomers about three mobths earlier.
Or the "a June, 1858, faint ncbulosity, slowly 40
yspcng toward the north, was descried by Donaa az
Florence uesr the star Locs's. This vas the cAfi
st nhsery alton uf the great comet 81 sS. l place
at the time is shown in Big. , us distance from the
sun being then about two hundred millions ~ miles,
While IRON the earth II was yet more remote Beng
>, first Inclined TO question whether Il might not be
identical with another comet Just before seen IN tho
same quarter of the heavens the third come; OF i$s
he communicated the intelligence of the discovery
with suitable reserve, az perhaps new ana IN .
second dispatch he said IL is posslbc that tins comet
j. the same as that discovered IN Amer a an the "a
Of May" Tins conjecture, fortunately Tor Donati,
did not prove true although the apprehension of the
Italian astronomer, from tho nvel zeal OF his ,Ians
atlantic brethren not without reasonable i0undS-
ton for sooner had the moon withdrawn nom the
evening sky 81 allow the comet 70 be seen, than
il detected almost simultaneously at three dief-
ent points In America, each observer being at the Time
unaware of lis previous discovery In Italy. was
seen by Mr. H. 7. futile ON the evening of IN. 18th
OF June and an accurate determination oi It's place
was made the same night at the Observatory OF
Harvard College. On the 18th, II was detected ny IA.
Nj. ParkLurst esq. of Perth Amboy, n. } and on
the lat Of July, by Mlss Mitchell of Nantucket.
Three geocentrc positions obtained on e7th, iith
and 18Th of June, furnished Donat with the means %
computing approximate elements of the comet mo-
ton from which its interesting character was quickly
recognized Considerable difficulty was experienced
in fixing the precise time OF perheon passage, most
necessary coucton in predicting it's path rs seen nom
the earth. While IN other respects the results de
ouced by various cOmputers sufficiently accord
ant they showed wide discrepancies IN designating
the lace of the comet in the orbit. BY the middle
of August, however, it, future course, and great IN
crease OF brightness in September and the carry part
of Oct Ober had been asceftaned with entire certainty
Tn 10 this time it had remained q faint object MT
even djscerpibe by the unasssted eye. IL was DIS
tinguished from Ordinary telescope comets only by
the extreme slowness OF its notion IN singular con-
tras with its subsequent career and by the vivid hh
Of the nucleus; the latter pecu irlty was OF Hsen
prophetic of splendid destiay. a.. -
and on the 18th IT was with the naked eye ~ u
hazy star For few weeks il occupied position 10
the heavens where it rose before the sun and set
after it, becoming taus conspicuous object both IN
the morning and evening sky. Jas circumstance
gave rise to the notion that tSo different
comets had appeared. The statement, which was
widely circulated that this was the return Of the comet
Of "a and OF 1856 supposed by some 70 be identical,
il equally incorrect fit hasever before been by
msn must have been far back in history, SINCE tho
most computations assign tine OF revolution
Of about twenty five hundred years.
On the 9TH of September first noticed the cnrya-
ture fte TAIL which subse quenty at the time OF its
greatest expansion, became one OF its most Impressive
features. 1t lie remarkable that this peculiarly should
have been strongly enough exhibited 20 be di-tin-
Quished al tie above date when the earth close
10 the plane of the comets orbit. The observation
cannot, in fact, be recopcled with the commonyie-
cciyed opinion that the curvature Of the tail lies in the
plane of motion about the sun.
The extraordinary changes exhibited in the neigh
borbooG Of the nucleus during the disruption Of the
envelopes and by the train while the comet WIS in the
part of lis orbit nearest the sun, will be illustrated in
the conclusion of this article by series Of wood cuts
aud of mezzotiDt plates This method of description
is the only by which an adequate conception OF
tie condition Of the comet during this critic period
liz history, be conveyed to the reader. Fora-
naely II long succession OF clear skies at Cambridge
afforded uneolnmonly favorable opportunities for oo
seryation.