NOTES OX COMETS.] 



ASTRONOMY. 



967 



Hind is of opinion that this ia identical with the comet 

 of Halley. ' 



1337. At the summer solstice a comet is noted as 

 having occurred about the time of the death of Frederic, 

 king of Sicily. It was also seen in China. The Euro- 

 pean historians give its duration for three or four 

 months. 



1337. A second comet was seen in this year, but it was 

 not observed in China. The European historians men- 

 tion it as having lasted two months. 



1351. In the month of December a comet was seen in 

 Cancer in the east. The account, however, is obscure, 

 and gives its position with uncertainty. From the 

 Chinese positions of November 24th, 26th, 29th, and 

 30th, Burkhardt has determined the time of the perihe- 

 lion passage in November, as 26 days 12 hours. 



1362. On March 5th a comet was seen in China, near 

 the constellation of a Aquarii and i and 9 Pegasi. It 

 disappeared on the 7th of April. It was -visible in Europe 

 during Lent as a very great and brilliant star. 



1362. On June 29th this comet was seen in China for 

 forty days. Its first appearance was in Capricornus, and 

 it had an extensive tail. 



1366. On August 26th a comet was seen in China, in 

 Ursa Major. On August 27th it was visible in the tail 

 of Scorpio. On August 29th it was near t and ft Aquarii. 

 On \ugust 30th it was near ft Aquarii and a Equulei. 



On the 22nd of September of this year, a comet 

 was seen in China to pass over the stars in the western 

 foot of Antinous. It was also seen in Europe. On 

 September 29th it was near the constellation Ursa Major, 

 between Aries and Taurus. (This is certainly an error 

 the Great Bear is not near these constellations). It was 

 visible for five days, and its motion waa in an opposite 

 direction to the apparent diurnal motion. This is an ap- 

 pearance of Halley's comet. 



1385. On October 23rd a comet was seen in the con- 

 itellations of Leo and Virgo, to the south of the constel- 

 lation Ursa Major. On the morning of October 30th, it 

 was seen near X Hydrae. It afterwards passed to the 

 south of the constellations 0, /i, X, u, and t Hydrae. 

 The tail was 10 long. 



1402. A very large and very brilliant comet, which 

 commenced to appear on the first day of Lent, on the 8th 

 day of February, and which remained to the beginning 

 of March. 



1433. At Bologna a remarkable and brilliant comet 

 was seen, which appeared from evening to morning. It 

 lasted more than a month, or rather less than three 

 months. Some dated its first appearance on October 

 12th. 



1456. A return of the celebrated comet of Halley. It 

 is represented by all the historians as being grand, ter- 

 rible, and of extraordinary magnitude, with a tail equiva- 

 lent in extent to 66. But the extent of this appendage 

 was fleeting and uncertain, varying to only 7- The 

 period of its durability was about one month. 



1457. In the month of June of this year a comet was 

 seen in Pisces. Its body was small. Its tail, at first very 

 long, was equal to 15 of a great circle. The colour of 

 the comet was of the appearance of lead. 



1468. The second comet of this year, which appeared 

 in September, October, and November. It was first 

 Been in Leo, near the tail of Leo. Its colour was blue, 

 with some mixture .of paleness. It was a very small 

 body. 



1472. In the month of December, 1471, a fine comet 

 was discovered in China. At Japan it was observed on 

 the 9th of January, 1472, where it is described as being 

 very great, its tail being equal in length to a street. In 

 Europe it appears to have been first seen about Christ- 

 mas at first small, but afterwards very large. The 

 greater number of historians represent it as very fine, 

 but as altogether fearful. 



1 490. At the commencement of this year a great comet, 

 with a very white and very long tail, was seen. It was 

 visible at Bologna about the middle of February. Its 

 head was small, and its tail long, but of little brightness. 

 Pingre makes the year of this appearance to be 1491 ; but 



another was seen in China in January, 1491, in Cygnus, 

 which cannot be reconciled with the European observa- 

 tions. 



1506. In the month of August of this year a comet 

 was visible with a long and bright tail, which extended 

 between the stars of Ursa Major. It was observed in 

 China and Japan, and appeared for a period of eighteen 

 or twenty days. 



1531. On July 31st, the comet of Halley again made 

 its appearance in Europe. In China and Japan it was 

 seen on the 13th of July. Apian, astronomer at Ingold- 

 stadt, observed it from August 13th to August 23rd ; 

 from which observations, however rude and imperfect, 

 Halley has computed elements. Apian also observed 

 that the tail was always directed from the sun. It 

 appears, from the Chinese observations, that the tail was 

 7 in extent, and that the comet was visible for thirty- 

 four days. 



1532. A comet was visible this year, which is supposed 

 to be identical with that of 1661. The orbit has been 

 deduced from Apian's observations, which, as in the pre- 

 ceding case, are not worthy of much confidence. Its 

 head appeared constantly in the morning before the sun, 

 and was three times larger than Jupiter. Its duration 

 was about seventy days. According to the Chinese 

 accounts, it was visible altogether for 115 days, and its 

 tail varied from 1 to 10 in extent. 



1533. A comet appeared this year about the middle of 

 June. It was seen in the summer solstice in Taurus, 

 with a very long tail. Its appearance is generally dated 

 at the end of June, and it was seen to the first days of 

 September. 



1556. This is the celebrated comet whose return is so 

 anxiously expected. It began to appear about the end 

 of February, at which time it equalled in magnitude one- 

 half of the full moon. Its tail, however, was short and 

 variable. It was not more, at. the greatest, than 4 in 

 length, and its flickering nature resembled much a flame 

 agitated by the wind. The comet disappeared altogether 

 on the 23rd of April, near the chain of Cassiopeia, after 

 having been seen for many days ; its brightness 

 being effaced by the rays of the sun, which it was very 

 near. It created great terror in the mind of Charles V. 



1558. This comet appeared on July 14th, in Leo. It 

 disappeared on August 24th and 25th, apparently behind 

 the clouds. It was at first not brilliant, but its bright- 

 ness increased in the latter part of its appearance. 



1569. In the November of this year a comet was seen 

 in Serpentarius, and in the signs of Sagittarius and Cap- 

 ricornus. Its motion, in longitude, equalled the extent 

 of these two signs. The comet was discovered in 

 November, and its tail was directed towards the east. 



1577. A great comet, which was discovered at Peru on 

 November 1st. It was seen in Europe by Tycho on 

 November 13th, at Uraniburg, in the island of Huen ;* 

 on this day he estimated the dinmeter of the head to be 

 7', and the length of its tail 22; the head was white, 

 but less bright than the fixed stars. It was observed to 

 January 26th of the following year. 



1580. This comet was discovered at Tubingen, by 

 Mestlim, on October 2nd. Tycho discovered it on the 

 10th of the same month, and his observations have been 

 used by Pingre in calculating the orbit. Tycho notes 

 that the diameter of the head was 8', its light faint, its 

 colour livid, and its tail difficult to be distinguished. 

 Dr. Bailey's orbit was based on the uncertain obser- 

 vations of Mestlim. Tycho observed the comet to 

 December 12th. 



1582. The second comet of this year, which was seen 

 for only fifteen days at the longest. Tycho discovered 

 the comet, and observed it at Uraniburg, from May 12th 

 to May 18th. On May 17th, the magnitude of the head 

 was scarcely equal to stars of the fourth magnitude. Its 

 tail was more than 3 long, and very faint. Pingre com- 

 puted two orbits from Tycho's observations, which are 

 both necessarily uncertain. 



1585. This comet was discovered by the Landgrave of 



Uraniburg was a castle built by Tycho Brahe*. Its name signifies 

 " The Cattle of the Heavens." It is now ill rutns. ED. 



