The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-27

lous patch, with a thin threadlike tail, the object being very much too faint to be seen with the naked eye. The true diameter of the comet at this time was about 15o,000 miles.
 The interest of this small and incon- spicuous comet arises wholly from the fact that it is peculiarly disturbed by some unknown cause in the course of its journey around the sun. Instead of making its circuit with perfect regu- larity, as all other known periodic comets do, 1t is continually moving faster and faster. From 1919, when it was discovered, until 1860 it arrived at each return about two and one-half hours ahead of time; during the next 10 years 1t gained one ana three-fourths hours at each revolution, and at present each period is about two hours shorter than the preceding one. Altogether, il has gained in this way about 56 hours since it's discovery.
 Whatever 1t is that disturbs the mo- tion of this little cloud 1t is probably met with while the comet is pursuing that rart of its orbit which is most remote from the sun. It is here that the zone of little planets known as asteroids are found, and it is possible that beside the hundreds of these bodies, which we can see, there may be in this region of the solar system a band of asteroidal dust, through or near Wnicn the comet pdSseS at each revolution.
 When the comet was last at the point D. Fig. ?. very nearly at it's greatest dis tance from us an attempt was made to photograph it with the very powerful re- fecting telescope at Mt. Wilson, Cal. After long exposure an object resembling the comet was found on the plate, so that we now have strong grounds for the hope that. after this the position of the comet a the qtarq he DhntORra nhpd at successive points entirely around the orbit. It will then at once appear whether the observed disturbance Is produced sud- denly and. if so, in what part of the orbit the disturbance occurs. This will go a long way toward removing the mystery of the unseen disturbing body whose eff fects have for so long time been a pug gle to astronomers
 THE STARS IN JANUARY
 This month witnesses the entrance of the brilliant Leo, the last of the winter groups, into our evening sky. This will be found low in the east it's brightest star Regulus, 40 light years distant from us. marking tn, end of the handle of the beautiful Sickle, which by May becomes so prominent an object in the evening skies.
 South of the Sickle the head of the Water Snake will be seen emerging LIOui tHt iHOut5u tHc iOuh DOQ! will not be fully risen in the early evening until next May. Still farther south Is the brilliant Sirius, 13 times as bright as Regulus. while above this are Orion, Taurus and Gemini, the brightest groups of all, and still higher Is the very brilliant Capella, now all most exactly in the zenith.
 Now is the best time of the year to trace out the winding River. a long constellation whose beginning Is mark ed by brilliant first magnitude star. too near the south pole to be seen in our latitudes, and which flows upward to Rigel of Orion. which marks tho mouth of the stream. Crouching at the feet of Orion is the interesting group of stars known as the Hare. | while below this is the Dove, both of which figures. lying so far south of the equator, are now in their most