New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-24
4 REMARKABLE COMET.
FROM PLANETLIKE NUCLEUS 1T DISPLAYS Az
EXTRAORDINARY NUMBER OF TAILS.

To tho Editor Of The Tribune.
ST. The new comet discovered at the Warner
Observatory on March q + now rcccdlng from our
planetary system and has given astronomers many
,urpri-eS. especially 10 the number Of tails, ana
the rapidly Of formation of one OF them. tail number
three which I'm twenty -fours Lad elongated itself -
the extent ~ 100000 miles. possibly at the "N-
pcnsc Of ore Of the other, which meantime hhh
entirely disappeared. photograph OF the comet
by Professor barnard f. the clear sky Mt the LACK
observatory shows at least dozen distinct branches
depicted on the plate complication II tails never
lief r.. observed in any comet 81 which were
curvcd while others were cG>hoJt, at sharp angles
on no two NOR iings has the comet presented the
same telescope or Photographic appearance.
The Photograph referred Ia was taken with a camera
having sN-inch object lens dashed 10 the siN'lhch
equatorial Telescope the latter being used simply fr
the employment q the dryi gclock the ey" looking
ihr,uch AM using the telescope pointer. keeping
the comet exactly IN the centre ~ the ,ce-cop" dur
ING tho long exposure II one hour Trc rat" OF the
driving clock being adjusted o. the appnr' Z motion
q the stars the telescope had, Of course to be slightly
moved by hand keep pace with The moving comet
causing IN the stars on the plate 20 have short ta'
the length 81 which give Ind'putablc record oil inc
comet, motion and direction
Another Singular allure ~ Tho comet was The planet
like rather than stellar disk II the nucleus which II
urc ,cncd at discovery. and which has been ana 'th'
,s nathalie even with small telescopes camera
with an hours exposure especially In dark SKY
will revcnI much more than the largest tcic-cppc III
Tho world fact well known 10 astronomers an"
hence more reliance is Ia be placed on lis la'ht
deIlnea,lont than on telescope appearance
ON March II the tail (Which AT tho time !
dI.covcrcd tho comet was not visible with the 16inch
,lncope AZ This olscrvat,r II degrees In length
as seen with The naked eye and sule'u"ntly increased
to 90 degrees AMI icscmhlci partially opened inn
Tut Cor the rnusuay brilliant zodlcal light which de-
,racted greatly from the bligncs, Of the comet the tall
might no doubt have been traced II thirty degree from
the head making (: the most wonderful on" that has M
c,rrd -ince the great comet ~ l--2 Though nov only
n, mace, Il NAV h. seen with nIr RI gla-S.
Ii, orbit +, doubtlo, Lyrcib0a. curve In which
lnt few comet, have been known - move. one which
dos not return Itself docs the cipr. and con
,coucnfly T. was never here before ever come
af~iin but -O,i ~ celestial tramp royin through
.Incc n dcu2cn ~ system.
The followia: aye few place. = the comet during
thc remainder ~ the month"; which places II ne1r
Audilmcda'S head
MAJ a2-Gt,ht ASCENSION 23h. 33m. ij@ DrclInaton
nor N 35-. $50
MAY ai-grat ASCENSION 23h. 3jn'. lis. D'cllnlton
north 3lS icG
Nav 20-rght ascension oh 4om. SIS. Dcciination
north 81 1o3.
north 36o 80.
Nav 3I-Erh, ascension. obi 52m %. Declin',On
h 3-s IA LEWIS SWIFT.
warner Observatory, Rochester. May 81. 1856.