BIELA'S COMET. 



but it was extremely faint, and could only be seen in 

 good telescopes. 



In 1839, this comet must have returned again to the 

 sun ; but its position was most unfavorable for observa- 

 tion, and it is not known to have been observed at all. 



In 1846, this comet returned to its perihelion under 

 circumstances more favorable for observation. It was 

 first seen at Eome on the 26th of November, 1845 ; at 

 Berlin on the 28th ; at Cambridge, England, on the 1st 

 of December, and afterward at most of the observatories 

 of Europe. It continued to be observed until the 27th 

 of April, 1846. 



This return of Biela's comet will always be remarkable 

 in its history for an appearance quite new in the annals 

 of modern astronomy. When first observed through the 

 five-inch refractor at Yale College, December 29th, it 

 was seen attended by a faint nebulous spot, estimated to 

 be rather more than a minute of space distant from its 

 brightest point. This surprising phenomenon was first 

 publicly announced by Lieut. Maury of the Washington 

 observatory. On the 13th of January, Lieut. Maury dis- 

 covered, that instead of being, as usual, a single comet, 

 it apparently consisted of two comets moving through 

 space side by side. Each body had all the characteristics 

 of a telescopic comet, being gradually condensed toward 

 the center, without any well-defined disc; each being 

 elongated on the side opposite the sun. For convenience 

 of description, we will designate one of these bodies by 

 the name of Biela, and the other as his companion. 



