W. Beebe — The Comet of 1771. 
161 
variations of 6' to 8' which comparison with an ephemeris reveals are 
no larger than might he expected.* 
Preparatory to the reduction of the observations, an ephemeris was 
computed from the parabolic orbit given by Enc-ke. 
T Apr. 19.18444 Paris m. t. 
tt-Q, 76° 1 ; 35"-8 i Ecliptic and 
(A) 62 27 56 16‘2 - mean equinox 
i 11 15 27-9 ) 1771-0 
log q 9 9552324 
Motion, direct. 
The ephemeris was computed at intervals of eight days and inter- 
polated, taking account of sixth differences. The sun’s places, to be 
used through the work, were computed from Hausen’s and Olufsen’s 
tables, as follows: 
Paris m. t. 
O 
log. R. 
Mar. 
29.5 
9° 
C-l 
5 
3"'51 
9-9998715 
Apr. 
6.5 
16 
57 
7-22 
0-0008842 
14.5 
24 
47 
16-31 
18774 
22.5 
32 
35 
19-52 
28010 
30.5 
40 
21 
10-96 
36748 
May 
8.5 
48 
5 
18-32 
45056 
16.5 
55 
47 
59*59 
52368 
24.5 
63 
29 
6-08 
58451 
June 
1.5 
71 
8 
48-83 
63652 
9.5 
78 
47 
44-32 
67878 
17.5 
86 
26 
3-88 
70611 
25.5 
94 
3 
43-44 
71936 
July 
3.5 
101 
41 
8-14 
72246 
11.5 
109 
18 
52-22 
71296 
19.5 
116 
56 
58-47 
68949 
The values of log R differ somewhat from those found in the 
British Xautical Almanao for 1771, computed from less reliable 
tables. Xo other reason can be found why the corrections to the 
ephemeris are so much larger than would be expected from the 
nearness with which the same orbit as used by Encke satisfies the 
six observations on which his work is based. ( Vide p. 165). 
* The successors of Sylvabelle, furthermore, tohl Encke that he employed the 
janitor of the observatory to count seconds for him when observing, who, to avoid 
what was in his view tedious and unnecessary labor, disarranged the clock and other 
instruments, so that his master was often puzzled even to And the comet. 
