Ube Jftocebouse Comet 25 



THE MOREHOUSE COMET 



This famous object was discovered on September 

 1st, 1908, on three photographic plates simultaneously 

 exposed by Mr. D. W. Morehouse, who, since 1902, 

 has had charge of the Department of Astronomy and 

 Physics at Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. 

 Morehouse has always been deeply interested in the 

 application of photography to astronomy and in the 

 use of the micrometer. He spent the summer of 1908 

 at Yerkes Observatory, working under Prof. Barnard's 

 direction and using his instrument. In photographing 

 the sky he gave special attention to long exposures, 

 and his success in detecting the comet on the night of 

 September 1st was the result of his giving a lengthened 

 exposure in the hope of catching faint objects and 

 nebulosity. These interesting facts he himself informs 

 me of, as also does he details of what is notable about 

 the comet. He was well justified in characterising the 

 rapid change in the comet's appearance as a " notable 

 thing," for the changes were remarkable. Indeed, 

 people might have been heard asking where the tail 

 of the poor little celestial visitor had gone. It ap- 

 parently disappeared, and while we were all gazing 

 sympathetically at the tailless object it suddenly 

 developed another tail, as though it were the easiest 

 thing in the world to produce such an offshoot at a 

 moment's notice. 



