Observations of a Comet. 63 



Sh. 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. 



9h. 10'. The star d is also emerged, but the comet 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 to- 

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



8h. 46'. The start/ 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 

 24 inches diameter, resembles now one of those nebulae, 

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

 large, brilliant, round nebula, suddenly .much brighter in 

 the middle. " 



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

 moon not risen, the comet resembles " a very bright, large, 

 irregular, round nebula, very gradually much brighter in 

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

 side." 



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

 dually much brighter in the middle." 



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

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

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

 I directed my ten-feet telescope with* a high power to the 

 comet, in order to ascertain the cause of this appearance; in 

 consequence of which I perceived several small stars shining 

 through the nebulosity of the coma. 



Jan. 11. 7-feet. "Bright, pretty large, irregular round, 

 brighter in the middle. " 



Feb. 2. 10-feet, 24-inch aperture. ff Very bright, larg<*, 



irregulaF 



