294 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



into an indefinite nebulosity, and the dark stripe had become much 

 fainter. 



Continued bad weather prevented observation until the 10th, and 

 on this date the nine-and-a-half-inch telescope of the School of Science 

 Observatory was used. A great change had taken place. The nucleus 

 had become an irregular, spindle-shaped streak some 40" long, made up 

 of six or eight star-like knots of luminosity connected and veiled by 

 shining haze. One of these knots, about a third of the way from the 

 sunward extremity, was considerably larger and brighter than any of 

 the others, and should, perhaps, be considered as the true nucleus. 

 The next one beyond it (reckoning from the direction of the sun) was 

 second in size, and separated by an interval of 2" or 3", the space being 

 filled, however, with nebulosity. The dark stripe was still visible, but 

 directed, not along the prolongation of the nuclear streak, but inclined 

 at an angle of 8 or 10, while a bright jet from the nucleus, two or 

 three minutes in length, touched one side of the dark stripe, and kept 

 nearly in the axis of the tail. 



Fig. 3 is an attempt to illustrate the apjDearance and relation of 



things by a mere outline sketch, 

 which, of course, can not be consid- 

 ered in any sense a representation, 

 since it fails entirely to give an 

 idea of the shading and gradation 

 of light. The head of the comet 

 presented no definite outline what- 

 ever, and the nucleus very little. 

 The knots were mere condensations 

 of brightness in the midst of diffuse 

 light. When the dawn came on, 

 the fainter parts successively dis- 

 appeared, so that at a certain stage 

 the nucleus seemed to be divided into two portions. A small telescope 

 would probably show things in the same way even before dawn, and 

 this is undoubtedly the origin of the reports that the comet had split 

 in two. 



This great and unprecedented elongation of the nucleus is a most 

 remarkable phenomenon. If it had occurred at or near the time of 

 perihelion passage, it might have been naturally attributed to the di- 

 vellent action of the sun's attraction ; but it is a little difficult to see 

 why the thing should have pulled out and come to pieces in such a 

 way after getting safely by the crisis. It is worth noting that this 

 peculiarity of the comet adds greatly to the difficulty of making accu- 

 rate observations of its position : one does not know just upon what 

 point to direct his instrument. 



Continuous cloudy weather prevented any observation of the comet 

 until the 15th. On that date the appearance of things as seen in the 



Fig 3 Head of Comet October 10, 1SS2. 



