E ALLEY'S COMET 



21 



Comet Mokehouse, photographed at Lick Observatory, November 1 



J, 



I'.ms. 



of his plates, and is apparently the first who succeeded in photographing 

 it. The hist plate to show it was taken August 28, but he did not ven- 

 ture to announce it until September 11. At Greenwich two plates were 

 taken September 9. At first nothing unusual was detected, but, after 

 hearing of Dr. Wolf's discovery, a reexamination showed faint images 

 on both plates. It has since been photographed and observed visually 

 at several places. On the seventeenth the first view was obtained of it. 

 at the Flower Observatory. 



The observed place differs from the computed one in right ascen- 

 sion 24 s , and 4' in declination, bringing the time of perihelion passage 

 to April 20.0. Another result gives the time of perihelion, April 18.63. 



The nearest approach to the earth will be in May 19, the distance 

 about 14,000,000 miles. On May 18.14, Greenwich mean time, the 

 earth and comet will be in heliocentric conjunction. It is not unlikely 

 that on this date the earth will pass through the tail. 



At the meeting of the Astronomical Society, 1908, a committee on 

 comets was appointed, with the understanding that special attention 







\.'\» -.'J . 



' ' ' ''>.'•" 







Comet Morehouse, photographed at Lick Observatory, November IS. 1908. 



