The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-02-07
Tho Lost Comet Found.
50, ,,eI.ondon Scws.I


:. rho mos, remarkable astronomical
,,s a., bnen announced. It is, indeed. s'to'
s.Ssr ,,nnreeedented 10 the annals OF Scent;
800 80. .oaJnrs will remember that the sPeha'u
0 ,.'., 80 nc n,eteors which fell on NoPemoel
~ 10. ,ras ascriSed in our columns 10 INC
H.. ca,net named after Bieia. very soon
80, or >t,,;s the opinion-6rst annouhced, VIC
no,;oyp In our columns was cohnfLneu ~
49,, ;n,,cncndspt quarters. and at the last
sa's VIZ, of fhe ROYAL Astronomical Society,
,h ns HID Superintendent Of the Nautical Al
. .ns ;n1icated how closely the phenomena
,s thot wonderful shower accorded with the
t,,a.,ry that we were passing through the
.''s,aoric ir.n of Biel,'s comet Wien the
shnwcr occurred. But Continental observer
did moro than that.
The idea suggested Itself to him that since
the Garth had passed through the train o! the
,,lnet. the actual track pursued ny the GOMEZ
WIS indicated Though after faShioh MN
erto unknown in ASTRONOMICAL prHiNe).
\ new method Of observing comets, uuy,
That astronomers should be actually "h'tleu
by the earth through the tram Oh coihet
which had passed that way SEVERN "eeks
before! But the astronomer h,nkeriues
acted on his idea, calculated where the comet
mist bc and sent tefegrsm to PoSsoD. the
Government astronomer ut Madras, contain
iny The following startling announcement:
i" Hiela touched earth on the 9th Scarch near
Theta Ccntauri." For the comet had gone
sSu,hyard, and according to calculations
was in a rart of the star sphere which only
lust rises above the southern horizon OF Lon
don fand that at an hour in November ana
December when the stars can not be seem.
So the message had to be sent to southern
observatory, where the glories Of the Cen
ta,1r. with his gemmed feet upon the splendid
Southern Gross, rise high above the horizon.
pursou received the telegram in due course
and on the first clear morning looked out for
the comet near the left shoulder Of the Man.
horse. The time for the search was short,
tor in December the Centaur docs not rise nj
Madras until near sunrise. And the weather
was unfavorablc. For two mornings Fog
son saw nothing. But "on the third attempt
| had better luck" lie writes to the astron-
omer royal, just about quarter-paSt q
hluc SPACE in the heavens enabled him TO ma
Bicla, and in four minutes $50 great Is the
flel;cacy Of modern telescope observatory
Pogson had found thnt the comet was
moving; in other words, that the object was
not one of those star cloudlets which tlcck
the star depths, but remain unmoVing ana
uuchanSlnS !Or centuricS. Nein's 'en..''S' ~
quote Pogson's words as to his recognition OF
the comets motion, for, though technical, they
have an amusing sound He says: IhouSh
/ could only get four comparisons win an
ANONYMOUS star"-an anonymous star J.
"the comet had moved over such and such
distance in four minutes, and that settled its
being the right object" The next day the
comet still presented circular aspect, with
n diameter more than half as large again as
on the former day--"a bright nucleus" and
this time faint but distant tail, about Us long
as fourth part of the moons apparent diam
tter, and spreading. Whether the COM
panion comet was there or not, Dir. PoS-
son had no time to tell. Daylight came on
with rapid strides. and .the next morning
clouds aud rain had returned. We may
hear further from Dir. Pogson by next In
dian mail, however.