I 



416 MJf^d^^^l^ Hind on the Elements of 



comet's positions, was transcribed from the originals by Prof.'> 

 Schumacher: it differs in no material points from the published 

 details in the Cometography of M. Pingre. 



Mr. Bishop's Observatory, Regent's Parkjli Jii Hlhii ioji H/:IfafejilBvig 

 j. . November 3, 1845. 7- i^fj-i>i:A <,t ' . >-iay/<in/) ,\ry6\ 



-~r~- \ni[ VJ,",lH aJP 



L'X V. On the Elements of several Comets not "previously com- 

 ■puted. By S. R. Hind, ^sg'. 



N the appendix to ihe Connaissance des Term fo^rJ84^,, M, 

 Edouard Biot has given a translation of several Chinese 

 catalogues of comets and extraordinary stars: these records 

 l}ave enabled me to calculate the elements of five comets whose 

 orbits were previously unknown. From the nature of Chines^ 

 observations no great dependence can be placed on elements 

 deduced from them, nevertheless it is probable that the results 

 will be sufficiently near in the generality of cases, to show 

 whether the comets are identical with any that haye be^^n,©^}- 

 served and computed in after times. ' 



Prof. Schumach.er has pul)lished the elements of the comets, 

 in 568, 574< and 1385, in his Astronomische ISlachricJiten. The 

 orbits of the comets in 574 and 770 are extremely uncertain, 

 the others are, perhaps, tolerable approximations. I attempted 

 the elements of a comet in the year 12 B.C., but could arrive 

 at no satisfactory conclusions, owing to the vagueness of the 

 C^iinese description. ii li 



In the present paper all dates are given in th^iJfflimi slyle, 

 Vjpless otherwise mentioned. 



I Second Comet of 568. — In the third year of the period Thien- 

 ho, on day Ki-ouei of the seventh moon (September 3), an ex- 

 traordinary star was seen in the stellar division Fang (com- 

 mencing at 77 Scorpii) and in the division Sin (commencing at 

 0" Scorpii) : it became gratlually larger and moved towards the 

 east. At the end of September it entered the group of stars 

 surrounding a Ophiuchi and a Herculis; it passed by the star 

 on the right of Ho-ku (y Aquilae). On day Kouei-ouei (Sep- 

 tember 27) it passed over the Hou-koua («, /3, y, SDelphini), 

 entering the stellar division Tchi (commencing at « Pegasi) : 

 it passed over Li-koung (A, [u Pegasi). On day Jin-yn^ ninth 

 moon (October 16), the comet entered the stellar division 

 Koei (commencing at ^ Andromedae) and gradually diminished. 

 On day Jin-su (November 5) it arrived on the north of Leou 

 (determining star /3 Arietis) about 1° and disappeared. It was 

 visible during sixty-nh)e days. M. Biot, in addition to the 

 above, has the following extract: — "June 28 (under Fei-ti of 

 Tchinp period Koiiung-ta^ second year, sixth moon, day Jin- 



