The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-03-29
TIE LArEsr COMET.
Character istscs of the Stranger Approach
ing the Earth ut the Rate Of Two Million
Miles Per Day.
lCorrespondence Sew York Herald.l

ing the Earth Mt the Rate OF Two Million
Miles Per Day.
correspondence New York HERALD
ALBANY, March 22-At4 o'clock on the
of March Is, Mr.. Charles S. Wells,
one of the assistants in the Dudley Observa-
tory discovered q small but very bright
comet An the constellation of Hercules.
This comet bids fair TO be the astronomical
sensation of the year. On the morning of
discovery Mr.. Wells was able to secure but
few definite observations, owing to weari-
ness and the rapid approach of dawn. He
did however, measure rough position OF
it, and noticed that 1t had small tail, equal
to about one-fifth of t4e diameter OF the
moon in length. This tail was. intensely
bright, and there was the appearance OF
starlike body in the head. News of the
discovery was immediately communicated
10 astronomers and to the public but owing
70 unfayorable weather but few observa-
tons have thus far been OBJ
tanned. At the Dudley Observatory,
of course, the new comet has been the one
topic OF absorbing interest. The con-
densed brightness of the head, the narrow
tail and the slow apparent motion across the
face of the sky, all served to heighten the
interest which was felt and led the astrono-
mers in ALBANY To predict for the strange
body an extraordinary future. The night OF
March 10 was clear, and another observation
was made at the Dudley Observatory by
Professor BOrs and his assistants. The view
then only served to intensity Impotence for
the time to arrive when the third observa-
ton could be made. which is always neces-
sary before the future course of comet can
be predicted. On Tuesday night their eyes
were again rewarded by few brief glimpses
of the new candidate for celestial honOrs.
The comet had increased in size
and brightness but clouds
and fogs conspired TO obscure
all finer details. All day Wednesday the
Albany astronomers were engaged on the
necessary computations for an orbit and
table of future positions in the sky. Of
course, with such slender material, extend
ing over four days only, but little could be
expected in point of accuracy. But that
little has been sufficient TO excite the most
glowing anticipations for the future. The
new comet is now approaching the earth or
rather the comet and earth are mutually APP
preaching each other, at the enormous
velocity of 100000 miles per day. Though
the comet is now visible to the naked eve, il
can not long cOntipue to hide its light 1t
is now nearly one hundred and eighty five
million of miles from tine sun, but il will go
on approaching the sun at rapidly increas-
ing rate until about the middle of June,
wien it will pass it periheliOn at distance
from the sun OF less than ten million miles
At present the comet is about 1GO coo 600
miles from the earth, and its distance from
us will not probably be less than S0,000000
at any time, though further calculation will
be necessary to settle that point. But
though it will not approach US so nearly as
other comets nave done, it may be expected
TO make fine display for few days in the
early part of June. Only ten comets have
hitherto been known to approach the sun so
nearly as this in all probability will. Ii is to
be regretted, however, that its greatest
brilliancy will occur at time when il will
be invisible to US. and seen only in the
Southern Hemisphere. In this respect it
will resemble the great comet of 1881. The
present extraordinary intensity of its light,
which comes to US from the enormous dis
lance of 160 goo, 600 miles, Iroves that ii has
plenty of material for future display, and il
will probably show q long and nearly
straight tail of enormous dimensions TO our
antipodes How much of the same sort il
will give us is still somewhat problematica!
and can only be decided on the basis OF fur
ther observations.
It is now invisible to the naked eye, and
by small telescope though it is readily
seen, yet owing 10 tssmallness it can hardly
be distinguish fro the stars which sur
round it. After passing It's perihelion it will
pobably become again visible in the North
ern Hemisphere. 1t now appears in the con-
stellation of the Tyre and Vega IL will pass
to the westward of that star ana about the
1st of April will stand within four or five
degrees from it. 1t will continue on its
journey up into Cepheus. when in May it
viii make an abrupt turn and go plunging
in toward the sun.
The elements Of the orbit of the new comet
are: Perihelion passage. June 10; peri
helion place, 40 deg. So min; longitude of
node, 206 deg. 40 min.; inclination. "a deg.
AZ min.; perihelion distance, 100000
miles; motion direct.
This comet appears to have no analogue
in the past. as no comet is known with ele-
ments sufficiently resembling these to con-
stitute reasonable belief in identity The
elements of the comet of 1907 somewhat re-
semble those of the present comet, but the
perihelion distance of the former is COM
puted to be seven times as great as that of
the latter. Two weeks of further observa-
ton will serve to remove many uncertain
ties which now exist to the future of this
comet, and these observations will unques-
tionahly be awaited with the greatest in.
terest.