The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-07-25
(By Dr. c. S. Brainin, Columbia Uni-
 versity.)

(By Dr. c. s. Brainin, Columbia Uni- versity.)
 The comet B 1916 (wolf), from
 which so much had been expected, does not seem to have come up to the great hopes of the astronomers; it is difficult to say just what it is that accounts for it's failure to live up to the promise of it's first performance. When first discovered it was extreme ly far away and must therefore have been extremely bright; as it approach ed 1t rapidly increased in brightness, and these two facts account for the predictions made for it.
 It is no doubt possible that the same cause which gives the comet it's tail when it approaches the Sun has in this case acted to greatly diminish the size of the head itself. The pressure of the sunlight upon the very small particles which are present in the fcomet's body forces them away from the comet and out into space in di- rection opposite that occupied by the Sun. It might be that in the case Of this comet light pressure forced so many particles away as to cause a perceptible diminution in the bright ness of the coma, or head.
 Mercury will be in good position for observation in August, for on the 23rd this planet will be in a position called greatest easterly elonga- tion.'' This means that it will oc. cupy a place in the sky about as far from the Sun as it can possibly at tain, and, since the elongation is east it will be an evening star, visible for a short time just after sunset. The difficulty in observing Mercury arises from the fact that Mercury is the nearest to the Sun of all the planets and to an observer on Earth is usual Iy projected on the sky so near the Sun as to be plotted from view by the transcendant brightness of the Sun. For this reason, also, very lit tie is known of the surface of Mer-. curry for the difficulty of observa- tion extends, of course. even to the great instruments.
 For the amateur who wishes to catch glimpse of the elusive Mer- curry it is necessary to have good, unobstructed horizon view. It is not necessary to wait for the 23rd but advantage should be taken of the very first clear evening with in week preceding this date, and at tempts can. be contin~ed for week following the maximum easterly elon- gation. Look for the. planet just above the horizon near the place where the Sun has set
 Venus is the real attraction of the evening sky, as it always is when oc- cupying a position which makes it an evening star. During August 1t sets shortly after the Sun and therefore cannot be shown on the monthly g O o'clock map, but it is continually i'm proving in position, receding from the Sun further toward the east and therefore occupying .ch night a. highher position in the sky st aanset. This will continue until November, when Venus reaches it's greatest easter1y elongation."
 Uranus is the only planet we are able to show on the map, and it's brightness is equivalent only to that of a sixth magniture star, so that it is just on the border of visibility Yet this is a favorable time for the tele- scopic observation of the planet, for on the 18th Uranus is i- opposition, i.e., in exactly the opposite part of the heavens from that occupied by the Sun.
 Directly overhead Is the constella- ton of the Tyre. with the first mag nitude luminary Vega. It is bluish white star of such beauty that poets and astronomers never tire of