Observations on Comet II. 



215 



ornament of the heavens, yet in how few days it will have gone 

 away, and as far as you are concerned, for ever !" 



On August 22nd, the comet showed well — I thought it 

 curved decidedly ; my idea was that the tail set out from the 

 head as if to slope to the right, then suddenly bent to the left, 

 and thenceforward was straight. Mr. Howlett also saw the 

 comet well in England (fig 4) . He makes the following note : — 

 " On August 22nd the jet from the nucleus (the nucleus was 

 very faint) appeared to me almost in a straight line with the tail. 

 I did not observe anything of the fan-shaped appearance which it 

 has since assumed. A pretty group of five stars from the 

 seventh to ninth magnitude probably, was on that evening to 

 be seen near the head of the comet. One of these, about 

 3' 40" to the eastward (following side) 

 of the nucleus, was quite immersed 

 in the coma, which just skirted upon 

 two other small stars on its preceding 

 margin. The tail, as seen here" 

 (in Kent), " 500 feet above the sea 

 level, appeared about seven degrees 

 in length." 



Unfortunately, neither Mr. Howlett 

 or I succeeded in seeing the comet on 

 August 23rd. It would have been 

 satisfactory to have been able to record its appearance on 

 that evening, as it then gained its nearest point to the sun. 

 Professor Ohallis saw it at Cambridge, but speaks of having 

 found the night less favourable for observation than he could 

 have wished.* Mr. Chambers, at Eastbourne, was more for- 

 tunate. He noted that the jet of light was inclined to the 

 direction of the tail by an angle of about sixty degrees ; and 

 by five different measures he estimated the tail at twelve de- 

 grees in length. f 



On August 24th Mr. Howlett obtained a fine view of the 

 comet (see tinted Plate) . He makes the following note : — ' ' The 

 nucleus had thrown out a very conspicuous and broadly fan- 

 shaped jet. The west side was the most sharply defined, and 

 seemed to me very nearly in a line with the general direction of 

 the tail, which latter I could trace for about eight degrees in the 

 direction of Eta Draconis. The coma appeared to me at this time 

 to be cleft, as it were, or at least to exhibit a rather marked defi- 

 ciency of luminosity in the north-east quadrant, which greatly en- 

 hanced the fan-shaped appearance of the jet.'" Mr. Chambers's 

 note for the same evening is : — " The sector or jet of light has 

 greatly increased in amplitude. It now covers fully 120° of a cir- 

 cle." The tail, he says, extends nearly or quite to Eta Draconis 

 * London Review, September 6th. f English Churchman, September 28th. 



Figk 4. 



