OBSERVATIONS OF A COMET. £ 



having left it, while d, which is rather more involved than it 

 was before, is hardly to be seen. 



7I1. 50'. The star a, toward which the comet moves, is- 

 involved in denser nebulosity than before, and is grown 

 fainter* 



d is involved in brighter nebulosity than before, but being 

 near the margin, it will soon emerge. 



8b. 35'. Being still more involved, the star a is now hardly 

 visible. 



e is quite clear of the tail, and is a considerable star; d re- 

 mains involved. 



9b. 10'. The star d is also emerged, but the cornet is now 

 too low to estimate the brightness of stars properly. 



Nov. 25, 7h. 35'. There is a star a within the light of the 

 tail, near the head of the comet, equal to a star b situate 

 without the tail, but near enough to be seen in the field of 

 view with a. The path of the head of the comet leads towards 

 a, and a more intense brightness will come upon it. 



8h. 46'. The starn is now involved in the brightness near 

 the head of the comet, and is no longer visible, except now 

 and then very faintly, by occasional imperfect glimpses; but 

 the star b retains its former light. 



Nebulous appearance of the Comet. 



Dec. 6. The head of the comet, viewed with a mirror of Nebulous ap- 

 24 inches diameter, resembles now one of those nebulae, P ea rauce o£the 

 which in my catalogues would have been described, " a very * 



large, brilliant, round nebula, suddenly jnuch brighter in 

 the middle/' 



Dec. 16. 7 feet reflector. The night being fine, and the 

 moon not risen, the comet resembles " a verv bright, larce, 

 irregular, round nebula, very gradually much brighter in 

 the middle, with a faint nebulosity on the south-preceding 

 aide." 



Jan. 1, 1808. 7 feet. " Very bright, very large, very gra- 

 dually much brighter in the middle." 



. If 1 had not known this to be a comet, I should have ad- 

 ded to my description of it as a nebula, that the centre of it 

 might consist of very small stars; but this being impossible, 

 1 directed my 10 feet telescope with a high power to the co- 

 met 



