a The Great Comet of 1861. 
The observations of June 30th and July 18th were exactly rep- 
resented, and those of July 8th and 9th as follows, by the method 
of least squares. A comparison upon Aug. 8 is also added. 
c—o 
oe AO 
July 8th, + 1-7 0-0 Aug. 3d, — 8-7 + 23/1 
9th, —4°O —2°5 ; 
The elements are somewhat closer approximations than those 
communicated in the previous notice, though not differing essen- 
tially from them. 
The comet was observed extensively in Europe, on the eve- 
ning of the 80th of June. The following passages are translated 
from a communication in No. 1816 of the Astronomische Nach- 
richten, from Prof. Secchi, Director of the Observatory of the 
Collegio Romano, dated Rome, July 1, 1861. ; 
“ Yesterday at 9 30™, I noticed this immense train of light 
in the N.N.E. which I took for the smoke of the fireworks which 
they often have in the city on the festival of St. Peter and St. 
h 37%, 
and its dec. 45° 57’. After the head had set, the tail remained 
on the horizon, and was much more brilliant than the milky way. 
About half an hour before midnight, the tail had reached its 
maximum development; it was very bright, and 6° broad at the 
pole star which was exactly in its centre. Thence it contracted 
considerably, the central part only remaining, which extended 
in a long band, tolerably bright, and about 2° broad, touching 
« Lyre on one edge (the eastern), and passing the zenith, was 
lost in the milky way near the stars ¢ and e Aquilw. Including 
the part below the Roctark the length was 118°. This is truly 
surprising! After it had risen at 2 o’clock in the morning, I ex- 
amined the details of the construction of the nucleus till about 
3, and I found that the nucleus was elliptical, with its major axis 
situated transversely to the axis of the tail. The measure of 
‘ ~ A ‘ . BIT Fae 
this axis was 10-05, and the minor axis was estimated as 2" — 
smaller, its light nearly equalling that of Saturn. It was well 
defined on all sides with a power of 200, only on the side to- 
wards the sun it was a little less sharp, while a great mass of jets 
of reddish light started from its edge in the form of a fan. rhe 
whole nucleus and the fan were surrounded with a halo, folding 
back in two branches to the right and left; the former longest 
and most brilliant; finally the whole was enveloped with a large, 
well defined, paraboloid segment. The distance from the a 
of the paraboloid to the center of the nucleus was 3’ 12”, ant 
that from the nucleus to the bend of the curved jets was 150-0 
e maximum breadth of the tail was about 6°.” ..- 
