The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-06-23
THE NEW COMET.
THE POSITION OF THE NEW CosIET-ITS RAPID
PROGRESS TOWARD THE EARTH-ITs PERIOD
OF GREATEST BRILLIANCY.

PROGRESS TOWARD THE EARTH-ITs PERIOD
OF GREATEST BRILLIANCY.
From the Chicago Times of the 18th, the
following facts are taken concerning Cog
gia's comet in the northern heavens: The
comet which is now visible in our northern
hemisphere is named after Nj. C0ggia, of the
Marsailles observatory, who discovered IL on
the 18th OF April last. This is the third
comet seen this year, but the others were
merely telescope comets not being visible to
the naked eve From careful oOser-
yations OF Coggia's comet it has been
ascertained to be a new One-that is,
one which has not visited this part of the
universe before within the history of man
kind. Its orbit describes parabola, and it's
period is almost infinite Prof. Lewis Smith
has addressed the following letter to the
Rochester Democrat:
The comet detected by me on the evening
of the Sth inst. was previously discovered
at Marseilles, France, April 18th. The
weather of late has been uniavOrahle tor o.
servation, the clouds demanding this right
of way' so that few observations cOald be
made, and even those with not much ac-
curacy. They were enough, however, to
prove the correctness OF my announce
ment that it was comet. II
is approaching both the sun and
earth with constantly accelerated
velocity, arriving at the perihelion nearest
about the first of August. see nothing,
therefore, to prevent its being very con-
spieuous and beautiful object in the western
sky during the months OF July and August.
It is now situated, at O'Clock in the morn
ing. directly beneath the polar star, and
about twenty-five degrees from it, and Is
Just visible to the naked eye. With an opera
glass it can be easily seen as hay nebulous
mass with bright point a little TO one side.
Through my ,elescope OF four and a
one-half inches aperture, six feet locus
it presents tail filling the whole field
with a low power of SO. SO directly toward
us is it moving it seems almost TO stand
still, its slight deviation from il giving an
apparent motion toward Beta Ursse Maioris.
| IL is not visible at night, but Will soon be
only in the early hours of the evening, set
ting in the northwest. If at the time of its
nearest approach to the earth the moon
should be absent, we may expect, from the
present indications, to be treated with
cometary display which may rival the tran
sit OF Venus in popular as well as sclentln(
| interest. The comet will be brightest on
| the evening OF August 8, being then pa
times as bright as at the time OF discovery
! while now it is only five and One-half times
as bright, and as the moon Will be absent il
| will be subjected to spectroscopic analysis
| under circumstances more favorable Than
may occur again in many years. 1t viii
then be about five degrees from Denaboia
| the brightest star in Leo.
| ROCHESTER,, June II, 1874. LEWIS SWIFT
Since the foregoing was written, Mr.. S
| w. Burnham has again observed the comet
| and from measures made with the mlcr0m
| eter, found its place at S:45 last evening tC
be: Right ascension, hours IL minutes J.
seconds; north declination, 6S degrees Al
minutes r. seconds The comparison stal
used in this observation is Piazzi vii. 81, one
of the American Nautical Almanac stars
| the place of which has been more
accurately determined that the smaller star.
| which had to be Employed in the earlier meas
ures. This is reduced to 1874 and in com
pairing it with the previous places which are
as has been stated for 1855, the epoch of thu
| catalogue from which the comparison star:
| were taken, the proper allowance must bC
made for professional motion during the
interval. This would increase the right as.
ceusion at the rate of about "a seconds pei
| annum, and diminish the declinatiOn by
about the same number of seconds of arc
| The comet is now rapidly increasing il
| magnitude, and is readily distinguishable by
| the naked eve. The nucleus is well de
| fined, and about equal to a sixth magnitude
star.
| THE ENACT LOCATION.
The comet may readily be seen with spy
glass, or even common opera glass, on
clear evening. Perhaps the quickest and
easiest way to find it will be for the observer
to draw an imaginary line through the two
stars belonging TO the great dipper, which
are designated usually by the Greek let
ters Gamma and Alpha. This line, extended
downward, will pass very near the comet
so near that it will be impossible TO miss it.
In close proximity to the comet will be seen
three small stars belonging to the Came
leopard. Through glass the tail of the
comet is seen, though its appearance is
rather indistinct. Its direction is
upward, or, more correctly speaking,
| toward the zenith. Consulting the table
still further, we find trat the brightness OF
the comet rapidly increases until the early
part of August, when, having completed its
passage around the sun, it recedes with a
gradual diminution of light. It's perihelion
passage occurs on July 20. In the latter
part Of July it will appear 30 times as brill
liant as now, and az its brightest point il will
be 90 times as bright as now. But from our
standpoint the best time for observing it
will be in Ju v. After that the comet will
be so low down in the horizon that it will
set before night