Daily Republican., 1882-10-04
OBSERV ATOMS ON EmECOMET.
a Tour through tho Naval Obser.
VaIOry and she kNnsa that were
Seen on the hun.


Seen ON the sun.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2.-ARother sat.
isfactory observation the great comet
was made at the Naval Observatory
this morning by Prof. Frisby, who
says that the latest observations con-
firlu the truth of the prediction that it
| was very nearly In the track of the
comets OF 1843 and 1880. The first com
putati0ns were necessarily imperfect
from the conside ration that three OBJ
servations must be obtained b. fore they
are data enough to determine an orbit,
land considerable amount Of time
shoIld elapse between the observations
while in this case that condition could
not be supplied, as observations had to
to he taken one day apart.
Now" says Prof. Frisby, "if we
also consider hat IL takes lignt COB.
siderable time to come from the comet
to the earth, ana that we do not $50
these objects in their true position on
that account, and also because we are
not situated at the centre of the earth,
we see that the problem Is quite diff
cult, AID especially rs all these cOrrec-
tiOns depend on the distance of the
comet from the earth, which Is neces-
sarily unknown when the computation
is commenced. We need not therefore
be surprised if the comet is some dis
tance from the computed place, and
VT on we add 10 this consideration the
fact that for simplicity, the orbit of a
comet is assumed to be aCurve, which
geometers call q parabola, which as
sumption may be very wide of truth, 1t
10 remarkable fact that 1t has been
found very near its predicted place
from the first computation of its orbit. !"
There have not yet been observations
enough to determine when 1t will re-
turn If 1t ever does. The difficulty in
determining this important element
arises from the consideration that COM
cts can usually be seen only when near
to their perihella or nearest points to
the sun, and there the arcs of ellipses,
parabolas and hyperbolas almost coin
eide; any slight error of observation
would apparently change the nature of
the path. Now all planets and comets
move round the sun in curves called
comic sections; the particular kind can
only be deduced from long intervals Ot
observation, the eclipse being the only
curve in which body in motion round
the sun can move 80 as to return.
The comet is changing in appear
ance very slowly. The nucleus ap.
pears to have increased in length to
about 20 seconds of arc, the tail extend
ing in the direction OF The large star
Hydra.
To about two -thirds of its distance
it is curved and slightly concave to-
ward the right, terminating quite
abruptly the nucleus is we'll defined,
but irregular, and seems almost desti.
tute OF the usual cometary halo it Is
of almost uniform brightness and can
be seen through telescope we'll in the
twilight. 1t will no doubt be a very
conspicuous object after the present
moonlight is gone The comet is now
moving from the sun with velocity of
/, 900, ,O0C miles per day, and from the
earth with velocity Of over 9OO,O
miles per day, 30 that any fear OF col
lisou with either of these bodies is at
present groundless, and the most
timid need have no apprehensionS or
fears.