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XXIX. InteUigence and Miscellaneous Articles, 



THE COMET. 



1*'. TouvARD, member of the French Insti'utc and of 

 the Board of Longitude, has published the following addi- 

 tional facts respecting- this pha nomenon : 



" The comet discovered at Marseilles on the 20th of Sep* 

 tember is the most beautiful that has been seen these 30 years. 

 Its nucleus appears like a star of the first or second magni- 

 tude, but its light is paler: its tail is not very extensive, 

 being only a few degrees : its light, however, and that of 

 its nucleus are strikinj; enoutrh to enable us to see it every 



DO •' 



evening. 



*' On the 30th of September I was informed of the ap- 

 pearance of this new comet, and on the same evening T de- 

 tcrmmed its position with ati excellent mstrume.it. From 

 this time I observed it regularly when the wtj-Jier was fa- 

 vourable. 



"The elements of its orbit have been determined by my 

 observations ; and by cuiploying the method of M Lapla^^e 

 I found it had passed its perihelion on the IQih of Scp.uni- 

 her 1807, at6h. 5Gm. m the morning, mean time, ai Pins. 



*' Its perihelion distance, that of the Sun being taken 



at unity, is 0;()-±7491. 



" The longitudt? of the perihelion upon the orbit — 27° oQ' 

 53". 



'• The longitude of the ascending node 2fi6° 39' 4o". 



*' The inclination of the orbit 63° 14' l". 



" Heliocentric motion direct. 



*' This comet from the period of its discovery has been con- 

 tinually removing from the sun and the earth ; its distance 

 from the earth, however, surpasses that of the sun, and it in- 

 creases every day. This comet will be still visible for some, 

 time ; which will afford an opportunity for multiplying ob- 

 servations, and will be favourable to astronomers in supply- 

 ing them with the means of ascertaining vvith ^reat exactness 

 the elements of its orbit, which resembles none of the or- 

 bits of any comet hitherto observed. 



« Paris, 2d Nov, 1807." 



-•/«.* A Me-i 



