Observations on the Tails of Halley's Comet. 149° 
the head ; 7. e. it is really in the upper and left part. What ap- 
peared as a short tail, in a clear sky, appears through the smoke as 
an eccentric envelope, this term being applied to the nebulous mat- 
ter which surrounds the nucleus. ‘The angle which the supernume- 
rary tail makes with the other, is not greater to-night than it was 
last night. On account of the smoke, the angle cannot be so exactly 
determined, but is between 100° and 120°. As seen through this 
eye-piece, the luminous matter on the lower right side of the nu- 
cleus appears to-night to extend three or four times as far from the 
nucleus as it did last evening, when it appeared more distinctly as 
a tail. By the use of the term nucleus, 1 do not mean to! affirm, 
that any solid body was seen, but to express a small bright spot, 
whose brightness had, on all sides, an abrupt termination, and did 
not fade away into that of the exterior of the head, by insensible 
degrees. Those students generally who used the telescope this 
evening, perceived the eccentric situation of the nucleus. I per- 
ceived the same after having taken the telescope from the stand, 
and placed the lower side uppermost. I consider my conclusion in 
regard to the existence of a supernumerary tail confirmed. The 
longer tail is directed toward 8 Cephei. 
Oct. 14.—The tail, at 8 P. M., was directed nearly towards + 
Herculis. The opacity of the air, which appears to be of the same 
nature as that which frequently prevails in this country in the latter 
part of autumn, and which is called Indian summer, tends much to 
obscure the comet this evening. To the naked eye, the tail is about 
6° or 8° in length, and from 12° to 16°, as seen obliquely. 
The nucleus cannot be seen with the eye tube for terrestrial ob- 
jects, nor with that of the highest magnifying powers, and but faintly 
with the two intermediate powers, but more distinctly with the 
higher of these two. On account of this indistinctness, it is dif- 
ficult to determine exactly the direction of the supernumerary tail, 
or (if any one prefers the expression) on which side the nebulous 
envelope is very much condensed and elongated. But if I might 
hazard an opinion, the nebulous matter at about 8 or 9 o’clock ap- 
peared to be elongated downwards in a direction making an angle of 
perhaps 160° or 170° with the long train. That it was elongated 
downwards in some direction was evident ; the precise direction being 
rather uncertain. 
Oct. 15.—The clouds and a kind of fog this evening prevented 
a good view. The length of the tail appeared less than 2°; its 
direction was towards the star % in the constellation Hercules. 
