Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1858-10-16
M | S c L L LA n Y.
GREAT COMETS.

No celestial phenomenon can produce such
universal interest as the advent of great and
brilliant comet. IL is visible alike to ci, izcd
and uncvlized, Jew, Christian and Pagan 4; and
aside from any superstltious notions associated
with their appearance cannot fail to secure from
them all marked attention, mingled with won
der and surprise.
Historians of every age have uniformly rank
ed them among the greatest events of human
experience. Total eclipscs Of the sun are phen-
omena truly striking and sublime but the
tent of the earth's surface, where they are visi-
ble is very small and oftentimes it is either
barren, frozen waste, or the trackess ocean,
where no human being dwells to tell of the sub
lime event. Not so with a comet. 1t is impos-
sible for one of them to keep at a safe distance
from us-as they always do-and be visible to
less than one-half the entire globe, and frequent
ly to any part oft during the same night. The
present comet, Donati's, at this time throws out
its glittering banner to every eye not within
thirty degrees of the South Pole. On the elev-
enth of October, this comets position will be
such, that it can be seen from pole to pole
The first comet of great magnitude mention
ed in history is the one which appeared ABOUT
the time OF the birth OF Mithridates, and remain
ed visible seventy days. Its brilliancy is COM
pared to that of the sun and its tail covered
fourth part of the heavens. The Chinese men
ton this comet in the eastern heavens, and de-
scribe its tail as extending past the zenith. l1o
years before our era, the Chinese also mention
a comet with nucleus of reddish tnge and
tail between fifty and sixty degrees long, that
appeared for eighty days 1t moved through
the constellation Ophiuchus, Serpens and Fri
danus.
In the year 3S9 of our era there appeared a
comet of brilliancy equal to Venus, and is said
to have inspired the greatest terror The head
appeared to be composed of several small stars ;
the tail was sword-shaped, and with the nucleus
resembed burning lamp with the flame point
ing upwards from the horizon.
A comet appeared in $50, which is described
as '.surrounded by thick darkness, and situated
in kind of opening it sh,ne in the midst of
the darkness" The tail was of great magnitude,
and resembled the smoke of distant confagra-
ton 1t was seen in the western heavens soon
after sunset.
In the year 6l5 comet was seen in China of
dusky color, and during the right the upper
extremity of the tail had kind of yibritory
motion. 1t was upwards of sixty degrees long,
and is the first in which mention is made of cor
ruscations. In S9l great comet was seen in
Europe and Asia, moving from Ursac Major,
through Bootes into Ophuchus. The Chinese
say its tail was one hundred degrees long. The
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astonishing magnitude and brilliancy.
The comet OF 1864 is described as being of
remarkable size and brilliancy. In the autumn
of that year, when the head of the comet was
Just visible above the eastern horizon, in the
early morning sky, the tail stretched cut past
the mid-heaven towards the west The Chinese
describe the tail as upwards of one hundred de-
grees long and curved in the form of a sabre
1t moved from Leo, through Cancer and Gemi-
nj, into Orion. 1t disappeared on the night of
the I'd of October of that year, and the super
stition OF the times connected it with the death
of Pope Urban w. who died that day. This
comet is supposed to be the same with that of
1866, known as Charles ", and whose return
is now looked for by astronomers.
In the spring of 1902, if we may rely on the
accounts of eye-witnesses, there appeared one
of the finest comets on record. 1t was seen in
Italy between the West and North with tail
directed towards the north east. Its brightness
was such that the light of the sun did not pre-
vent it from being seen at noon-day. 1t pro-
duced great terror among the Ignorant, who
considered it the precursor of many evils to men
in general.
The most celebrated comet of the fifteenth
century appeared in l472. In January of that
year it was observed to have tail Of prodig-
ious length and presenting altogether a specta-
Gle very horrible ana caused universal ufeau.-
The observations of Regiomontanus who dis
covered it on the 18th Of January, enabled DIR.
HALEY to compute the clements of its orbit 1t
came very near our globe on the 2lst of that
month, being less than three and a half millions
OF miles distant. 1t was visible in full daylight,
and its tail stretched across the heavens.
The comet of 1877 is especially interesting on
account OF having been the first whose distance
from the earth was first ascertained Tycho
Brahe determined from observation its parallax
which resulted in showing the comet to be far
beyond the moon. This exploded the notion Of
Aristotle and other Grecian philosophers that
they were mere eight clouds" floating in our
atmosphere. On the day of discovery. the com.
ct had curved tail twenty-five degrees long
In the Chinese annals, the comet is described
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