Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-04-15
THE TWO COMETS.
Their Approach to the SUN and Earth
During April and May.


Inc two comets discovered in the be-
ginning Of last December are still APP
preaching the earth, and will become
visible to the naked eye in due time.
Faory's, discovered at Paris on Dec.
l, is coming towards the earth at the rate
OF 100000 miles per day, and about the
Iast OF this month will be only some 49,
O0O, 900 miles distant.
mhen nrst discovered it was some 2OO,-
VOO,OVO miles from the sun, and about
l25, 000,0 900 miles from the earth. On
april . 1t reached its nearest point to the
sun, about 100000 miles, and since that
uate III mas been Teceding from the sun,
lhough still approaching the earth. The
cometis DOW in the constellation OF An
dromeda, about 10 deg. north OF the great
square OF Pegasus" 1t IS moving slowly
northeast among the stars, but about the
middle OF the month will turn and move
win a gradually Increasing velocity to-
ward the southeast, until it passes out OF
our view IN the southern hemisphere. 1t
now rises nOrtheast-by -nOrth, about ! 80
q. M, and sets nOrthwest-0y-nOrth, about
. p. m, so that il is almost exactly over
mead about 10 o'clock in the morning. 1t
ought to become visible to the naked eye
about the middle of the month in the
morning sky. 1t will not become visible
TO the unsided eye, in the evening sky,
until the latter part of the month, II it is
seen then, as 1t Will set on an average,
ABOUT nall an hour after the sun all during
ms month. Its calculated brightness
VIII be greatest about the last of this
month, when it will be fully 400 times
brighter than when first discovered. I'm
fortunately, however, it sets at this time
only about half an hour after the sun and
rises about an hour and a half after it, so
that 1T will be invisible in the morning,
and not very conspicuous in the evening,
owing to the strong twilight. There is q
possibility that this comet may transit
the sums disk on April %, as it then
passes the descending node, or that point
In It's orbit where it crosses the plane of
the earths orbit going south. This comet
IS now about 60,000,000 miles from the
earth and sun.
Barnard's comet was discovered at
Nashville, Tenn, two days after Fabry's.
LII was much further from both the earth
and the sun than Fabry's, being fully
100000, 900 from the former, and 250,00O.000
from the latter. 1t is still approaching
both the earth and the sun, and will reach
its perlhelioD on May 3, when it will be
about $4,000, 600 miles from the sun, and
about SO,000,000 from the earth.
tits approaching the earth at the rate
OF 100000 miles per day, and about the
last OF May will be some 100000 miles
distant from US. 1t is still some 125, 100000
miles from the earth, although only about
6OO0O,OO0 miles from the sun. 1t now
rises in the northeast about AIS a. m,
and sets in the northwest about $3.50 p.
M, so that it is few degrees south of
the zenith about half an hour after noon.
This comet is also within the borders of
the constellation Of Andromeda,
a little south of Fabry's, but
about 30 deg. or so to the east of it. It is
moving somewhat slowly northwest
among the stars, but about the beginning
OF May will apparently halt. and making
complete turn, will begin to move
toward the southeast until it is lost to us
in the SUMS rays, toward the latter part
of May. Its calculated brightness will be
greatest about May %, when it will be
nearly $50 times brighter than at discov-
cry, but unfortunately will not be as we'll
placed at this time as Fabry's at It's great
est brilliancy, for 1t will then be envel-
oped in the SUMS rays-rising in the
morning after the sun, and setting in the
evening before it-being up only during
the daytime, a very bad time for a comet
to be caught up. This comet will proba-
bly, become visible to the naked eye about
the beginning of May, in the morning be-
fore sunrise. 1t may become visible the
last of April.