3Q8 Astronomical Itiformaiton. 



Its motion through the heavens, in comparison with former 

 observations made on it by other observers, appears to have 

 • been very irregular, and accelerated at intervals, varying from 

 one to upwards of three degrees in a day : but it should be 

 recollected that these irregularities and accelerations in its 

 mean motion have been materially effected by the earth's geo- 

 centric motion. Its south declination being so great, it was 

 not seen in this latitude after the 16th : but to the inhabitants 

 of southern latitudes this celestial visitor must have become 

 an object of admiration. 



In your last Number, pages 217 and 218, the discovery of 

 ^ve comets this year by foreign astronomers is mentioned: 

 but from a consideration of the dates of the discoveries, and 

 the positions of these comets, and also the direct south-west 

 motion of the one we have just described, we ai-e inclined to 

 think that this one will answer for at least t/ircc of them ; 

 namely, the two seen by M. Pons on the 1 5th of July and the 

 9th of August, and the one by M. Harding on the 23rd of 

 August : for it would be an uncommon j^^i^^^nomenon indeed, 

 were we to observe in the course of two or three months so 

 many comets in the same hemisphere, and so near together as 

 these are said to have been. 



Conjunction of the Planets, &c. — Soon after 4 o'clock 

 in the morning of the 28th ultimo, a conjunction of the planets 

 Mars and Venus and the star Regulus was observed here. 

 These celestial orbs were about 1 5 degrees above the eastern 

 horizon, in the prime vertical : and the sky being cloudless at 

 the time made this phaenomenon very conspicuous. The di- 

 stance of Venus from Mars was 44 minutes of a degree, and 

 from Regulus 39' \5" ; the three forming an isosceles triangle. 

 Juj^iter was 6° 33' to the eastward of Venus. 



An occultation of Regulus behind Venus took place at 6 

 o'clock in the evening of the same day, and at 10 p. m. Mars 

 and Venus were in their nearest conjunction ; namely, two- 

 thirds of a degree distant from each other. 



At 4 o'clock in the morning of October the 4tb, a con- 

 junction of Venus and Jupiter was also observed here, when 

 the former was 40 minutes distant from the latter. Venus, in 

 this position, certainly appeared the most briUiant of the two, 

 and reflected a greater light upon the earth than Jupiter did. • 

 In the evening, Venus, when passing the southern side of 

 Jupiter, was only a few minutes distant from him. 



At 5 o'clock in the morning of the 12th of October, the 

 planets Mars and Jupiter were in conjunction, viz. wiUiin half 

 a degree of each other ; and in the night following, when 

 Mars passed the northern side of Jupiter, they were some 



minutes 



