Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1881-07-02
THE COMET OF l8O7-l881.

To the Editor OF the Herald:-It Is
gratifying to have ones
predictions fulfilled, but it is too much
OF a good thing to have them fulfilled be-
fore there is opportunity to publish
them. In writing the communication
In this mornings Herald my sole infor-
nation was derived from DR.. Gould's
telegram OF his observation at Cordova.
But it seems that the comet had actually |
been seen yesterday morning in many |
different places, although no one seems
to have suspected its identity. From
the position given, eight degrees south
east OF Capella, 1t appears that the peri
helion passage took place on the 18TH
inst, two days earlier than the date l
considered most probable, but four days
later than the earliest period consider
ed possible. This accounts for its being
so much nearer Capella than supposed
it would be when first seen. 1t would
have been visible in the northwestern
sky last evening had it not been cloudy
after it had set, but it was we'll above
the horizon before two o'clock this
morning. The nucleus with It's attend
ant coma was brighter than Capella,
first magnitude star, and the tail was
seventeen degrees in length and proha-
| bly, longer, since the haziness OF the sky
may have hidden the fainter portion OF
it. The sky was too hazY to allow me
to compare its position with neighbor-
ing small stars, and / was compelled
to trust to the circles of the telescope,
but the perihelion passage comes out,
from my own observation, on the same
day as deduced from that of the night
before. The correspondence in right
ascension with the orbit of 1907 is not
very close, but it is sufficient to enable
me to make some further statements OF
Its actual position and motion.
Its distance from, the earth is now
about iorty million miles, and from the
sun about sixty million miles, and it is
recedlng from both. Consequently the
nucleus will not become any brighter
than at present; but it Is not unlikely
f that the tail may increase in length ant
brightness tor several days. Its appar
ent motion is now little over three de
grees per day, almost exactly toward
the north star, which is sufficient to brins
it above the horizon all night on to
, morrow Saturday evening, and it vii
not set again in this latitude while 1t re
, mains visible even IN the telescope. I
\ could be seen this morning until abou
4 four o'clock. In the bright twilight. an
e will be visible at present from eight o
/ nine o'clock until four every clear nigh
q But its northern motion will rapidly d
a minish, so that it will require at lea'
j. two months to reach the nelghborhoo
of the north star.
II In 1858, when Donati's comet passe
a near the bright star Arcturus, it ws
II during the evening equal to it In brigh
j. ness, and yet during the day, while Ar
l. turus could be easily seen in the tell
If scope. the comet was totally invisibl
A. The present comet is equally bright, a
Of thoug gh the tail has not yet develope
g equal length or brightness. On exam
as ining the nucleus with high power
Is observed the popularity OF bright sp
Of within the coma southeast of but e
y tirely separated from the nucleus. al
RS much resembling what is called
1t "ghost," being diffused and witho
la central nucleus of its own. Wheth
Ill this indicates temporary condensatit
as OF the coma in that particular place or
he permanent separation which will
of crease, as IN the division of Biela's CO..
e- ct, a few days will probably determine
Ok HENRY M. PARKHURsT.
to Brooklyn, June "a, 1881.