SECTION VII. 



THE GREAT COMET OP 1863. 



THE great comet of 1853 was discovered by M. Klin- 

 kerfues at Gottingen on the 10th of June, at which time 

 it was a somewhat faint telescopic object. About the 

 7th of August it began to be faintly visible to the naked 

 eye ; on the 20th it was equal to a star of the third or 

 fourth magnitude ; on the 25th it was equal to a star of 

 the second magnitude ; on the 30th it was as bright as 

 one of the brightest stars of the first magnitude. From 

 the 30th of August to the 4th of September, although 

 the comet was distant but a few degrees from the sun's 

 place, it was seen and well observed each day in full day- 

 light by M. Schmidt of Olmutz. On the 31st of August 

 he made a series of observations of the comet's place 

 with his telescope about mid-day, although the comet 

 was only twelve degrees from the sun ; and on the 2d, 

 3d and 4th of September, he observed it at mid-day, 

 although only seven or eight degrees from the sun. Also 

 on the 3d of September, about noon, Mr. Hartnup, of the 

 Liverpool observatory, saw the comet distinctly with his 

 telescope. 



For a month after the discovery of this comet, it ex- 



