Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-07-09
The Comet.

We find in the New York Nelrs the follow
ing from the Astronomer at the Allegheny
Observatory in relation to the Comet:
The Great Grua of 1861, as seen fron. tie Aue-
gheny Observatory, June 5, at EOS IN the Ere
glEg.
Nucleus in the Lynx about 50 deg. r. A,
and about so deg. n. Defamation; well de-
fined. both TO the unassisted eye, and also by
a magnifying power of 60 or 80, and in either
case apparently much larger than the planet
Jupiter.
Tail deg. broad, and more than 60 deg.
in length, extending between the head of
Ursa Major and the Camel Leopard, and
about midway between POlaris and Belize
Ursae MINORS, and onward almost to Lyra.
1t does not set in this latitude, but is visible
during the night skirtins the Northern hOri-
zon.
1t will be on the meridian to-day at about
II O'Clock, and about ten degrees to the
North of the zenith. By the appearance of
the tail there is reason to infer that it is ap-
preaching the sun at an uncomfortable rate.
She will probably be remembered, and also
recorded, as one of the most extraordinary of
the celestial phenomena that has fioated into
our horizon for hundreds of years.
BRADLEY.
ALLEGHENY OBSERVATORY, July L, 1861.
A correspondent gives the following ac-
count of the phenoma as it appeared at At
Iantic City. to the Philadelphia Press:
1.-THE comet became visible as daylight de-
cIined, but first saw it at about quarter
mast 9 O'Clock. 1t was then about ten or
Twelve degrees above the horizon, and the
direction about twenty degrees west OF north,
or what seaman would call nor'-nOr-west.
0The nucleus or head was large, bright,
and tolerably well defined. When viewed
with small telescope, it Illuminated the
field of view nearly as much as Venus when
that planet is brightest, but no singular or
striking picture was observed in IFS conform
alton. as is sometimes the case The tail of
the comet, though, perhaps, less brilliant
than that which appeared some three years
ago, was yet much longer, extending
when the head was near the horizon, to with
in ten or fifteen degrees of the zenith, or, in
other words, could be plainly traced through
an arc of full seventy-fve degrees
st passed just to the left of the pole star,
and terminated near the constellation Lyra.
In consequence of position so far to the
north. 1t was only few hours below the hor-
lion: for, setting about ten O'Clock, l saw it
again at about half past two in the morning,
already six or eight degrees above the hori-
zon, in the north northeast, while its tail
might be seen at any time during this inter
val projecting far above the northern hori-
zou- On the whole, il was a most magnif-
| cent celestial phenomenon, and such in its
rarity and splendid grandeur as one can ex-
pect to see only once or twice in a lifetime.
"How this comet came to display itself in
| such fully developed condition all at once
| / cannot tell, but it seems to me most reason
able to suppose, THAI 1t has been setting be-
| fore or with the sun, and having rapid mo.
| zion eastward in the heavens, Tor northward,
which xould produce the same efecD it has
been 30 far behind the sun In setting on the
evening referred 10, e. TO become visible
through the absence Of the sna1s ngnt