New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-06
THE COMET.

A LIE TIER FROM PROFESSOR 8. C. CHANDLER JR
OF THE HARVARD OBSERvATORY-Irs IDENTITY
WITH TIE COMET OBSERVED IN RIO JANEIRO-
EPuEMERIs
To the EdttOr Of The Tribune.
SIR: The great comet of 1881, as it will
probably hereafter be called popularyuness the
pected comet of 1872 returning before the year Closes
should dispute the distincon-has observed
Oh eight nights at Harvard College Observatory Tho
comparison OF the latest positions obtained, with the
computed at this Observatory juno 26 cabled to
Europe, and published by The Science Observer on June
~ and which contained in your issue of the 10Th
shows close accordance of actual subsequent path
OF the comet with that predicted by the ephemers
Thus the last observation yet reduced gives June 30
Ion 437m, Cambridge NJ. T., tho comets observed
place:
Right ascension, Oh. 13m 54.6Os decination 1880
80 243" while the predicted place was:
Right ASCENSION Oh lam 2s declination, 1850 80.
the difference being only seconds in right asccr-
sion TOR one-ha minute of equivalent equatorial arc
and less than two minutes in declnatiOn.
This very satisfactory agreement shows that the cle-
ments of the orbit rs given will probably vary hut
slightly from tho results of subsequent more elaborate
discussions 1t also justhe the reliance placed upon the
Brazilian position of May 30, used conjunction with
the Harvard Observatory positions OF June % %
With reference TO this Rio Janeiro observation il NAV
not DC out of place to remark that i employment in the
calculation, while at first experimental, was not n
mere loose assumption. as there existed fixing
the hour of the observation pretty nearly and also of
testing the question of identity of the object seen at Rio
with the one seen here Besides tile resemblance the
elements communicated in the Brazilian dispatch and
indicated in DR.. Goulds mutilatcd Dispatch much Sc
verer criterion WAS afforded by the comparison Of the
comets subsequent apparent motion in amount and drec-
t"h with ttt resulting from the orbit computed
hypothesis of identity Thus for interval from the
time of the last observation on which the orbit was
based dune 25) the time the next observation oh
tanned dune 26), we had
comets motion
nv orbit In "a. In pccl ~
ASt" 'Si' 3 g 8 g e. 20 e.
an agreement which seemed to identify beyond rea-
here.
was easily narrowed down to within a short time OF q
O'Clock IN tue evening by the consideration that that
tnc only could the comet have been
wihe inc sun was below, the horizon at Rio. Tor the
comet to be visible. $3.50 ~
append an cpicmcrs OF the position OF the comet from
May 20 to August l3. ~ given by the As stated
hat although thcS VIII probably Increase the cphc
will represent the track of the with pre-
cision Tor u preliminary orbit up 10 the end
with the light 0f TINS ephemcris we can now under
stand and plain much that rendered Obscure by
rug ti' HtHt ohth from the eouthcrn hemisphere. We
can also eide pretty certainly wien the could
These atitudcs ana thu, decide upon adni,ity Of
he claims OF the early discoveries have no time 70 20
INTO inns point at TINS wiring say that those
cnerprsing Individuals who saw it mt o'clock on The
morning of June II in Boston, must have viewed it
tiuouSh the diaphohous medium of sew
cral thousand miles terrestrial globe ana WITHIN
such clos' proximity 10 the flames solar orb IA
sight. ~ ~
1t may he interesting To note that on May 90 about
%ni,m 'l, , ~ was presumably first seen IN South
Anercathc brinncy OF the comet was only nc-quarcr
that when 1t was frs in these ltuics It's date OF
greatest piii'ancy "ns probably about june Is.
Harrard college Observatory July =, ISL ''' '"'