76 New Comet. 



confused, or had a greater nebulusit)-, than when seen with the 

 naked eve, perhaps from thick dewy haze then descending. 

 Though the brilHancv of nioonliglit was not favourable to obser- 

 vations, yet the nucleus of the comet appeared of a pale white 

 light, and was sometimes brighter than at others, as was also the 

 tail, which expanded upwards at intervals from 6 deg. to 10 deg. 

 in length by the sextant. From its position and motion it would 

 appear that it had passed through the head of the Lynx, between 

 Auriga and Ursa Major, and was now advancing towards the head 

 of Gemini. The train had a little inclination westward, and ap- 

 peared about 3 deg. in width at its greater extremity. Its ap- 

 parent magnitude is nearly similar to the comet that appeared 

 here at the beginning of September ISl 1 ; but the train is much 

 longer and wider." 



" Observatory, Gosport, July 8. 



" Mr. Editor — I beg leave to send you a few observations re- 

 specting the new comet, by way oi addenda et corrigej]da of the 

 article that was hastily drawn up last Saturday night, and in- 

 serted in your paper of Monday, and am yours trulv, 



" William Burney. 



" The comet's north polar distance when passing the meridian 

 about 12 P.M. on the 3d instant, was 44 degrees; and its north 

 declination 46 degrees. On Monday night, when on the meri- 

 dian, its north polar distance was 43 degrees, and its north de- 

 clination 47 degrees nearly: so that its north polar distance de- 

 creases, and its declination increases. On Tuesday evening it 

 could not be f*een here, from the interposition of clouds. Last 

 evening (the 7th) at 20 minutes past nine o'clock, mean time, it 

 v/as 26 degrees west of due north ; and 16 degrees above the ho- 

 rizon. Since Saturday night it has risen about 2 or 2^ degrees 

 towards the polar star, and receded from Capella nearly two de- 

 grees westward ; which now makesits place on a good celestial 

 globe about two degrees under the three small stars behind the 

 left shoulder of the constellation Lynx. Now, since the sun is 

 in the focus of a comet's parabolic or elliptical orbit, it is evident 

 this comet, in its approximation to Polaris, is advancing to its 

 perihelion, and from its slow motion, and the direction of its path, 

 most likely we shall see it for a considerable time. It is about 

 25 degrees from the sun, and within two degrees of our zenith at 

 noon ; and, when most brilliant, its head is globular. Sometimes 

 it appears as small as a star of the second or third magnitude, at 

 other times equal to Saturn in apparent diameter, but of a lighter 

 colour than that planet. The breadth of the head, including dif- 

 fused coma, is nearly half the moon's apparent diameter. The 

 tail is well connected with the head, without any perceptible 

 aperture; but has not appeared on any evening to be so long by 



several 



