APPEARANCE OF HALLEY S COMET. 



of the head of the comet, exactly as a compass needle oscillates 

 between the one and the other F i g 10. Oct. s, 1835. 



side of the magnetic meridian. 

 This oscillation was so rapid, 

 that the direction of the jets 

 was visibly changed from hour 

 to hour. The brightness of the 

 matter composing them, being 

 most intense at the point at 

 which it seemed to be ejected 

 from the nucleus, faded away 

 ,as it expanded into the coma, 

 curving backwards, in the di- 

 rection of the principal tail, 

 like steam or smoke before the 

 wind. 



88. These curious pheno- 

 mena will, however, be more 

 clearly conceived by the aid 

 of the admirable drawings of 

 M. Struve, which we have re- 

 produced with all practicable 

 fidelity, in figs. 9, 10, 11, 12, 

 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18. 

 These drawings were executed 

 by M. Kruger, an eminent 

 artist, from the immediate ob- 

 servation of the appearances 

 of the comet with the great 

 Fraunhoffer telescope, at the 

 Pultowa Observatory. The 

 sketches of the artist were cor- 

 rected by the astronomer, and 

 only adopted definitively after 

 repeated comparisons with the 

 object. The original drawings 

 are preserved in the library of 

 the observatory. 



89. Fig. 9 (page 198) repre- 

 sents the appearance of the 

 comet on the 29th September. 

 The tail was difficult to be re- 

 cognised, appearing to be com- 

 posed of very feeble nebulous 



matter. The nucleus passed 



