SECTION II. 



FATE'S COMET OF 1843. 



ON the 22d of November, 1843, a telescopic comet was 

 discovered by M. Faye, of the Paris observatory. It had 

 a brilliant nucleus, and a short tail like a fan about four 

 minutes in length. It was re-discovered in this country 

 on the 27th of December, by Mr. J. S. Hubbard, at New 

 Haven. The comet was closely watched at the European 

 observatories during December and January, and at the 

 Pulkova observatory it was followed until the 10th of 

 April. The orbit was first computed as usual on the sup- 

 position of its being a parabola, but the parabolic elements 

 being found unsatisfactory, an elliptic orbit was comput- 

 ed, and the period found to be about seven years. Its 

 eccentricity was found to be 0*55, thus forming a connect- 

 ing link between the asteroids and comets. Hitherto 

 there was a well-marked distinction between planets and 

 comets. The most eccentric of the planetary orbits is 

 that of Polymnia (O337) or about one third. The least 

 eccentric cometary orbit hitherto well established, was 

 that of Biela's comet, (0*75), or almost exactly three quar- 

 ters. Faye's comet, with an eccentricity of one AaZ/*(O55) 

 occupies an intermediate rank, and nearly removes what 



