The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-09-30
From the New Yo, { Evening Pos
THE THREE COMETS,

Inc astronomical Wof mas now the very un-
usual opportunity of ms ling simultaneous oh,
servations on three come >. This class of bodies
belongs to the Grcspa OF astronomical science,
and in consequence Of Seir erratic movements
and iEf-equent appesran q in our system, but
little is understood Of tk ir nature and destiny.
Three of these heavenly fisitaDts are now yisi-
bic IN the northern heaH.n only the brightest
of which can be distinct seen with the make d
eye. Ii has a well defined tail or appendage of
about two degrees in Ter nth, and is rapidly in.
creasing in brightness It is supposed to be
about lao, 100000 miles istant from the earth,
the orbit of which it is adually approaching.
1t s calculated by the irst week in October
that this comet will attai to an unusual splen-
dor. 1t may be seen ah ut an hour after sun.
set IN the northwest, aDc about an hour before
sunrise in the northeast, 20 that it remains Wis
ible to the naked eye BIZ a few hours. As it
rises higher above the b rizon, however, every
successive evening, we 8. sl soon have clearer
and more prolonged vi vs. of the illustrious
stranger.
The brlghtest OF the tk zee comets is supposed
by DIR. Gould to be iden ical with the comet of
1864 and the first OF the three comets seen in
1927, and to have peri d of about thirty-one
years. This conjecture 8 grounded on sup.
posed identity of the ell ments of motion IL
may be doubted, howeve whether this identity
is not imaginary, for the dement's have not such
an approxima ion to ain Iarity as to Justify his
conclusions. Upon tbI. point, our scientific
readers can Judge for themselves. Here are the
elements; -
1864 e ?oeh, Feb e; inclination, 52e 54>;
longitude of node, l2OoV longitude Of peri
helon, l5o 10; perheon distance, O555 :;
direction, d.
lS27-Epoch, Feb. inclination, TO sS> /;
longitude of node, 1912 50; longitude of peri
hehon, $50 30; perihe.ion distance, 05O6 !;
direction, r
such difference in I'M lination and longitude
OF perlbelion could not list In q single revolu-
ton of the same body wi .hout the influence of
disturbing causes which sc know did not exist
Then, Sain, the motion pf the comet of 1854
was direct, while thot ot<sl827 was retrograde.
We cannot tell, in fact, 'what comet it is, nor
have we any means of ID ntifying it, and hence
there is no real ground zen for cor lecture.
The second, which CO.. only be seen by the
telete ope, Is supposed to We the return of Faves
perio1lcal comet 1t hsr an interval of 7l8
days, or 744 years. B / its present position
differs SO much from the former movements of
Faye's comet, that this Identification also is
problematical. Both It's resent inclination and
place differ considerable from the position as
computed by him; and >ge know of no cause
which could produce so reat change in its
movements. :.
The third body, whicl is also telescope, is
copjectured to be the or, st expected comet of
lZt4 ana 1906 All asst Onomers agree In ex-
tollng it's splendor. It's 1.il is said to be more
than 100 degrees in Iene h, or one half of the
visible heavens. 1t first disappearance was on
the night oil The death OF Pope Urban Nv. The
following elements show he data for regarding
the comets OF 264 and 556 as identical; the
reader will recognise ithout difficulty the
striking resemblance;
l264-lnclination, 81 25/; longitude of
node, l750 80 iongitu' of perihelion, 27l0
30/; periheion distance DAB direction. d.
l556.-lnclination, 3 l2; longitude Of
node, 1852 26/ longitu q of perihelion, 274o
IA; perihelion distance 05O; direction, D.
The interval included I tween the two epochs
ID about 292 years, viii b would place its re-
turn in the year l84S. A ,cordingly, Mr.. Hind,
Of Bishops Observatory, predicted it's return in
that year but it was 81 ose uently discovered
that, in consequence of lanetary disturbance,
it's return will be betwetp the year 1866 and
the close Of 1850. Ols class of elements
would lead US to expect Is return in August of
the present year. and bssce its supposed iden.
tity with the third body raw appearing in our
northern heavens. hut vs. cannot tell what the |
elements oil this body Az, because It's move.
ments have not been estis5sted. We have. there.
fore, no means of identifying it, and cannot tell
whether it has the same physical appearance,
or an identity in its movenents, with the great |
comet, so long expected, 20 much searched FIR,
and so often predicted. St is singulnr fact, ]
that all the three bodies SOW engaging the spe.
cial attention of astronomers have positions
ffsing widely from the, comets with which it |
is sought to indemnity thea. a..