542 COSMOS. 



the first comet of the year 1847, discovered by Hind near 

 Capella, has very recently been visible at London, near the 

 Sun, on the day of its perihelion. 



the Meteorologicis of Aristotle, book i. cap. vi." But I would 

 call to mind that the name Comet of Aristotle is vague and 

 indefinite. If that one is meant which Aristotle states to 

 have disappeared in Orion, and which he connects with the 

 earthquake in Achaia, it must not be forgotten that this 

 comet is stated by Callisthenes to have appeared before, by 

 Diodorus after, and by Aristotle at the time of the earthquake. 

 The sixth and eighth chapters of the Meteorology treat of four 

 comets whose epochs of appearance are characterized by the 

 Archons at Athens, and by unfortunate events. In this place 

 those are mentioned in order: the western comet which 

 appeared on the occasion of the great earthquake at Achaia, 

 accompanied with floods (cap. vii. 8) : then the comet which 

 appeared during the time of the Archon Eucles, the son of 

 Molon; afterwards (cap. vi. 10), the Stagirite comes again to 

 the western comet, that of the great earthquake, and at the 

 same time calls the Archon Asteus a name which incor- 

 rect readings have changed into Aristseus, and which was 

 on that account erroneously considered by Pingre, in his 

 Cometographie to signify one and the same person as 

 Aristhenes or Alcisthenes. The brilliancy of this comet of 

 Asteus diffused itself over the third part of the sky ; the tail 

 which was called its way (0^09) was also 60 in length. It 

 extended nearly as far as Orion, where it gradually disap- 

 peared. In cap. vii. 9, the comet is mentioned which 

 appeared simultaneously with the famous fall of aerolites 

 near ^Egos Potamos (Cosmos, vol. i. p. 103), and which can 

 scarcely be a confusion with the aerolite-cloud described by 

 Damachos, which shone for 70 days, and poured forth falling 

 stars. Finally, Aristotle mentions (cap. vii. 10), a comet 

 which appeared at the time of the Archon Nicomachus, 

 to which was ascribed a storm near Corinth. These four 

 appearances of comets occurred during the long period of 

 32 Olympiads: viz. the fall of aerolites, according to the 

 Parian Chronicle, Ol. 78, 1. (468 B. c.), under the Archon 

 Theagenides ; the great comet of Asteus which appeared 



