IRoteg on Comets 129 



Delavan's Comet, so bright that it was impossible to 

 miss it. 



The last observations of this comet in England, 

 Dr. Crommelin believes, were those obtained by 

 Mr. R. L. Waterfield, of Cheltenham, at about six 

 o'clock on the mornings of January 16th and 18th, 

 1915. It was seen low down in fairly bright twilight, 

 eleven minutes of arc south of Eta Ophiuchi on 

 January 16th, and nearly one degree south of that 

 star on January 18th. The tail was about ten minutes 

 of arc in length, and pointed north-west. In a photo- 

 graph taken by Mr. F. W. Longbottom, of Chester, 

 the comet at one time showed a tail traceable for at 

 least 8 degrees. 



The experience of my correspondents in finding 

 what was to them a mysterious object in the heavens 

 recalls to my mind similar inquiries relating to the 

 Morehouse Comet, also Borrelly's and Brooks'. In 

 regard to the last-mentioned, I recollect that Mr. 

 Chas. Crump, of Harrowden, Wellingborough, wrote 

 to me during the autumn of 1911 asking for the name 

 of the celestial visitor he had seen in the morning sky, 

 a little to the left of and below " the very conspicuous 

 planet" (Venus) which was just then so striking an 

 object. Brooks' Comet, which Mr. Crump had seen, 

 had been watched with much interest every clear 

 evening for some time previously as it journeyed 

 towards the sun. 



Encke's Comet, according to a note received from 

 Dr. Crommelin, was very brilliant as a telescopic 

 object in November, 1914. The late Mr. Lynn's 

 prediction that it would be seen no more has not, 

 therefore, been verified. When Mr. Lynn expressed 



