The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-07-14
HOW To FIND THE COMET
Can Be Seen with the Naked Eye Be-
low the Big Dipper in the Northwest
Its Head Is Very Bright and lis Tail Has Sew.
eral Branches-Professcr Virgins Says
Another Comet Is Due in q Few Weeks.

New HAVEN. Conn. July 13.-The new
comet has been Photographed twice at the
Winchester Observatory, Yale, by Mr.. john
Z. Lewis. The first negative. made on Mon
day evening. showed extremely interesting
detail. The head IL very bright and the
tail streams out from it a distance of sever
degrees. The tail, near the head, is shown
to be composed of several branches. one Of
which turns at quite an angle q little dis
tanoe from the head. About the middle of
the principal tail another one seems to
shoot out from 1t, resembling somewhat
Professor Barnard's famous photographs of
Swift's comet in 1892, though not so dis.
tInct. Another plate. made Tuesday even
ing. shows the head but hardly any OF the
tail. as the sky was very hay.
MINNEAPoLIs. July 13.-Prof. William
w. Payne writes from GoOdsell Obse rvR-
tory, at NOrthtield. Minn., that DR.. H.. T..
Wilson obtained two photographs. one
with u small camera and the other by the
aid of an eight and one-quarter inch photo
graph telescope. In tue PHOTOGRAPH the
tail looks like q bundle of separate stream.
ers rather than q single uniform straight
train. Just behind the head, on each side
OF the main train. anarrOw long streamer
IL seen, the two making different small
angles with the main axis of the tail. The
pPoANh Va shO OAh .
promises something interesting in the near
future. The comet is moving away from
the sun and is probably approaching the
earth. 1t cannot DO settled whether the
comet IL new or old unti some time has
elapsed to determine Its orbit. s. j. CORR
gan, OF st. Pant, declares that the new
comet is that OF 1873.
SAN JOSE. CAL. July ia dispatch Rom
Prof. E.. S. Holden, of Lick Observatory,
saws an orbit of the new comet has been
Anlatd hU prnfaaanr Pnsa II 10 m
%proxiinate only. 1t indicates that during
July the comet will move rapidly east and
south, and that it's light will decrease. The
comet will be nearest the sun on July 20.
sey show q tail more than ten degrees long.
A 1t Appeared Tuesday Night.
The Boston Transcript thus describes the
comet, as it appeared Tuesday night: 1.-THE
comet is easily visible TO the naked eye rs
q fairly bright and i'll defined star. tho
latter characteristic making evident ITS
cometlo nature to the praoticed OBJ
server. To the ordinary cItizen, how ever.
it may prove Disappointing in O measure,
since the first statements of it's brightness
come from astronomers who are used to
comets of exceeding faintness. and TO whom
a comet vIsIblesto tie naked eye is indeed
of comparatively great ~brilliancy. 1t is
much brighter than the Holmes comet of
last year, and is excellentiy situated for
observation IN the early evening. In .
small opera glass it's dltfused cometic ma
ture is u~nmistakable. while In q field glass
or . small telescope it is o very pretty OBJ
jeot.
1T consists of q large. round head or nu-
cleus, from which . tail, q faint band of
light. streams almost vertically ard.
This tail could be traced last evening for
a distance of about five degrees, although
it Is only fair to say that the determine
tiOn OF the extent of q very faint glow like
this depends upon such faculties Of vision
and imagination thai the most conscien-
tious of observers will vary greatly in their
estimates. 1t is. however. very well worth
the trouble of nnding. providing one does
not expect too mnch and can lay aside for
q moment the memories OF the maRnIicenoe
of the comets of tho early sixties and these
of about ten years ago.
cit Is easily found with the naked eye.
and Is considerably brighter than any of
the stars in the immediate vicinity. The
fears expressed yesterday. which were
based upon the earlier dispatches. that the
comet could he seen ONLY after sunset, are
not altogether justified. for until half past
10 o'clock last evening the object was easily
seen. Its position In the sky Is in the
northwest. and Its elevation above the
horizon is considerable-some fifteen or
twenty degrees in the early evening.
'Tbe constellation of the Great Bear. or
the Big Dipper. ASH lspOpulariy known, can
DO IOuQu Dy any QUO NJ 6ll oOusSEe8uS Will
the confiRuratIon of the considerations. Be-
low this Great Dipper hangs the 'Tassels,'
two elongated isosoeles triangles of third
magnitude stars, familiar TO those who
have studied this part of the sky. Below
the more northern of these. at q distance of
not more than three degrees. may be found
the comet. changing its position in q south
westerly direction at the rate of about five
degrees q day. Those who are not already
familiar with the 'Tassels' may find their
way TO the comet from the dipper. step by
step. among the stats in the following
manner
Trace the diagonal of the dipper down.
ward, beginning with the star At the Juno.
tion of the handle and the bowl. through
the star which forms the lowe angle of the
bottom with the side-the lower one of the
pointers. Continue this line downwards q
distance equal to abont one and one-half
times the diagonal Of the Dipper itself. The
bright star found at this point. q third
magnitude star. forms the apex of the tas-
sci. the two other stars. W hich are of nearly
equal brightness. being almost vertically
below it at a distance of the separation Of
the pointers. or about the field of a small
opera glass. Immediately below these
two stars. to the left. and at n distance
somewhat less than the separation of tho
stars themselves. the comet ought to be
found tonight.
I'm tho lingering illumination OF the