N° XX. 
Obfervations on a Comet lately difcovered; communicated 
by Davip RITTENHOUSE, E/quire. 
Read Mar. N the 2rft of January laft, John Lukens, 
19 1784. Efquire, informed me that he had difcover- 
ed acomet the preceding evening, and on the evening 
of the fame day, aflifted by Mr. Lukens and Mr. Prior, I 
obferved the apparent place of the comet to be in the 15th 
degree of Pifces, with 16° 6' fouth latitude. By fubfe- 
quent obfervations I found its motion to be north eafterly, 
with refpedt to the ecliptic, and that its neareft approach to 
us had preceded our firft obfervation. It paffed the ecliptic 
on the 31ft in the 25° of Pifces, and February the 17th. 
it was in Pifces 29° with 13° ro north latitude. This 
was the laft time I faw it, clouds and moonlight having 
fice prevented. 
The light of this comet was fo very faint that it was. 
impoflible to obferve it with accuracy, at leaft without bet- 
ter inftruments than I am poffeffed of, efpecially as the 
comet was always involved in day light, moonlight or the 
thick atmofphere of the horizon. No pains or attention 
however were wanting, and from the beft obfervations I 
could make, I find it paffed its perihelion about the 20th of 
January, its diftance from the fun being about .2, of the 
fun’s diftance from us. The-place of its afcending node is 
in the 25th deg. of Taurus, and the inclination of its orbit 
53. Its motion is retrograde, that is, contrary to the or- 
der of the figns. Ihave ftill hopes of feeing it in the 
morning, though its diftance is now fo very great that it 
can fearcely be vifible to the naked eye. 
Extra 
