OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 



183 



servatory of Harvard University, on the comet discovered on 

 the 1st of October ult., by Miss Mitchell, of Nantucket. 



Observations on Miss Mitchell's Comet of Oct. 1, 1847. 



"From the 7th to the 14th inclusive, the differences of right as- 

 cension and declination were taken from the circles of the twenty- 

 three-foot refractor; on the 15th and 18th, the micrometers of the five- 

 foot equatorial were employed. It is remarkable, that, though the 

 comet is distinctly seen with the naked eye, it disappears under the 

 slightest illumination of the field of the latter instrument. Nothing re- 

 sembling a nucleus is visible in either telescope. 



" Oct. 11th. The comet shows a faint tail of two degrees in length 

 in the comet-seeker of 4-inch aperture. 



" Oct. 15th. The determinations of this evening are very indif- 

 ferent. 



"From the Observations on the 7th, 11th, 14th, and 18th, Dr. 

 Peirce has computed the following elements. 



Per. pass., Nov. 14">.4132S, Greenwich M. S. T. 



« dist., 0.3294495. 



Long. asc. node., 190° 51' 0.3".6 

 Long, per., 274° 16' 48".8 



Inclination, 

 Motion, 



Mean eq. of Jan. 1, 1847. 



7P 55' 27".0 



Retrograde. 



" Mr. G. P. Bond, from the observations of the 7th, 9th, and 1 1th, 

 finds,— 



Per. pass., Nov. 14.6935 Greenwich M. S. T. 



" dist., 0.3463 



Long. asc. node, 191° 01' 

 Long, per., 276 24 



Inclination, 72 28 



Motion, Retrograde." 



