Daily national Democrat., 1860-06-23
COMMUNICATED.
Coucts,


Another of these eccentric. tail bearing
vagabonds Of the universe has made its ap-
pearance, and MS usual, unexpectedly, a little
before or a little behind time, scarcely ever
running according to schedule
This latest arrival is now plainly visible to
the naked eye at evening, in the northwest
ern part Of the heavens AS seen last night
betw cen and 10 o'clock with telescope of
moderate power, it exhibited a nucleus Of
considerable brilianey although quite near
the horizon at the time of observation Its
caudal appendage is some l09 or l5o in
length, extending upwards from the head in
a slightly curving line, making an angle Of
about 50 with the horizon towards the
north star. from which the head or nucleus is
distant abont 45 > Of arc.
The who.e makes very respectable show
as to apparent size, beside that of Donati's
comet Of the fall of 1858. though not to be
compared to thati brightness syet.
The tail Of Donatis comet at its greatest
brilliancy, was to the naked eye about 35
in length. or Eneally 5l,oo0,00o miles, and
we may Judge Ivy comparison whether this
is tail that's soon told.
1t is supposed that this is the comet of
Charles V. What the period of revolution of
that comet is l an unable to state. Among
the list given by astronomers of comets whose
orbits are ascertained with anything like pre-
cision, aud whose periods Of revolution are
comparatively short, HerschelS comet dis
covered in 1919, aud whose period is three
and one.third years, and De Vicos, seen in
1874, period 5;45 years, come nearest to the
present time in their periodic returns, al
though the latter should come some months
later than this.
As Illustrating the exceedingly attenuated
nature of these bodies-ihey can hardly be
called bodes-it is stated that when Bielas
comet was visible in 1882, stars of the 10Th
and 18th magnitude were plainly seen with
the Telescope through the densest part of
the nucleus which was many thousand miles
through. The period of Herschel's is dimin-
iSulhS t1 OuS uhu one lliIu hours dL every
revolution, and its distance from the eun de-
creasing SO that in the lapse Of ages it will
fall into that body-to its own damage how
ever; owing, as is supposed, to the nfnites-
sinai resistance offered 10y that subtitle. hy-
pothetcal fluid called either prevailing all
space and which unaffeeting as it does, pom
derable worlds, demonstrates the extreme
lightness and want of inertia in comets
Another evidence of the unsuhstantial charae
ter of these celestial wanderers, was furnished
in the case of the comet of 1870, whose period
was then fixed at 81 years. 1t returned, uc-
cording to programme, in l776, but on its
outward bound trip to the regions of dark
ness. it strayed from its path and fell in with
Jupters moons, whose attractions so turned
IT'S head that IN despair at not being able to
induce one Of them to eope with it, it rushed |
wildly from our planetary society and has
never been heard of since. 1t has probably
gone to destruction without even an Orbit
uary notice To the credit of Jupiter's co..
sorts be it said, that they never swarved a
hair in the gravity of their circle of domes-
tic duties for this light hearted flame. R.