VOL. XXX.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 363 



when Caesar invaded Britain, either gave his name to his people, or took theirs. 

 But he was doubtless the most potent prince at that time in Britain, since by 

 common consent of the rest, he was made general of their united forces, in 

 defence of their country's cause against the Romans. 



Observations on a Comet seen at Berlin. By M. Kirch. N° 357, p- 820. 



Translated from the Latin. 



M. Kirch, observing the motions of the heavenly bodies on the 18th of 

 January 17 18, N. S. at half an hour after 7 o'clock in the evening, happened 

 to spy a comet towards the north. It was next the right of Bayer's y and (3 in 

 the ursa minor, and appeared to the naked eye much brighter than |3, though a 

 remarkable star of the second magnitude, and though much paler, yet of a 

 larger diameter, and pretty bright, especially about its centre. When seen 

 through the telescope, it appeared like a bright round nubecula; but no signs 

 of a tail could be observed, nor could the nucleus be distinguished. It pro- 

 ceeded with a very swift motion from 7 to Q o'clock, having gone over 44-°, as 

 is collected from the observations. 



On the 19th and 20th of January the heavens were overcast; but on the 

 a 1st the comet was gone a good way from its late place, and was found in Cas- 

 siopeia, where it formed a triangle with the stars s and (J, viz. at 5^ 45"^, in 

 17° 34' of Taurus, and 49° 54' N. lat. afterwards at 9*^ Id"" it was seen in l6° 38' 

 of Taurus, and 49° 2' N. lat. Then it decreased much, and remitted of its 

 velocity, and besides, appearing paler than before, and did not seem to the 

 naked eye to exceed a star of the 4th magnitude, nor did it proceed in its 

 orbit above a degree and a half in 4-i- hours: its diameter by the telescope 



was 7'» 



Jan. 23, at 4 o'clock in the morning, the comet formed an isosceles triangle 

 with $ and (p of Cassiopeia; being distant from each 2° 41^'. This morning it 

 scarcely dispatched half a degree in 2 hours time: at 10 o'clock at night it was 

 seen in a straight line with J" of Cassiopeia and (p of Perseus, and was distant 

 from the former 3° 38', and from the latter 3° 9'. Its diameter was 5', and to 

 the naked eye it appeared like a star of the fifth magnitude. 



On the 24th of January, at 6 o'clock in the morning, it had not yet applied 

 to (p of Perseus, but formed an isosceles triangle with u and g of that constel- 

 lation, and was distant from each not quite 3^^°. 



An Eclipse of the Sun at Norimberg, by M. IVurtzelbaur \ and at Berlin, by 

 M.Kirch' N°357, p. 822. Translated from the Latin. 



In the Nov. Literar. Berolin. are two observations of a small eclipse of the 



3 A 2 



