Royal Astronomical Society. 61 



richten, I soon found that a very close approach to the planet Ju- 

 piter must have occurred about the 20th of May 1842 : the comet 

 at this time would be hardly further distant from Jupiter than the 

 mean distance of his fourth satellite. The action of the planet 

 would be more than ten times greater than that of the Sun ; and it 

 18 very possible that a complete change might be produced in the 

 elements of the comet's orbit. This encounter took place rather 

 to the south of the plane of the ecliptic, in about 283^° heliocentric 

 longitude." 



Peters's Comet (26th June 1846). 

 On the 26th of June, Dr. C. H. F. Peters, of the Observatory 

 of Capodunonte, found a very small comet in the constellation 

 Scorpms, near 595 Mayer, and about one degree to the south of 

 the nebula H. vi. 19, or 535 of Smyth's Cycle. The new object 

 \yas quite as pale as the nebula, and somewhat rounder. The mo- 

 tion was perceptible at the end of an hour, when Dr. Peters com- 

 menced his observations with the equatorial of Reichenbach. These 

 were continued on following nights till stopped by moonlight. The 

 following are the results corrected for refraction : — 



1816. Naples Sid. Time. R.A. Dec. No. of Obs 



h n» s Q I I, ' 



June 26 17 24 4-0 226 51 31 -4 — 21 38' 4^M 3 



27 16 19 30 227 18 539 20 57 199 7 



28 17 2 180 227 49 202 20 14 19-8 4 



29 16 48 45-6 228 19 38 19 33 43 6 



30 17 53 10-3 228 48 483 18 50 360 5 

 July 1 18 24 25-7 229 19 15-9 18 10 37-4 5 



H 16 57 24-8 234 5 535 12 31 311 2 



12 17 19 341 234 33 398 12 2 187 4 



13 17 18 291 235 2 16-3 11 34 457 4 



14 17 6 56-8 2.35 29 457 11 8 197 4 



15 17 39 10-5 235 59 188 10 40 103 3 



16 17 19 26-3 236 '2,Q 471 10 16 14 5 



17 17 31 47-6 236 55 98 9 50 335 4 

 8 17 43 22-4 237 26 5-3 9 27 235 4 



19 17 41 14-2 237 52 224 9 3 531 4 



21 17 51 58-3 238 47 280 -8 19 12-3 3 



It was seen on the 23rd July, but it was too faint to be observed 

 Upon these observations Dr. Peters has calculated the following 

 nX^\' ^'^^'"^ '"^° account all small corrections {Parall. Aberr. 



Perihelion Passage 1846, May 30, 12'> 56" 3'0, Berlin M.T. 



Perih 237 20 28''2\ Mean Equinox, 



a 258 45 120/ July 1. 



«■ 34 417 



Log. y 0-2046:{5 



Motion direct. 



These elements differ considerably from a first rough sketch. Dr. 

 Peters believes them to be near the truth ; still they give from day 

 to day considerable anomalies, when compared with the observations. 



