Comets. 131 



COMETS. 



AN ACCOUNT OF ALL THE COMETS WHOSE OBBITS HATE NOT BEEN CALCULATED. 



BY G. P. CHAMBERS. 



{Continued from page 376, «oZ. v.) 



904. At about the time of the birth of the Emperor Con- 

 stantine Porphyrogenetus, a brilliant comet showed its rays in 

 the E. It lasted forty days and forty nights. — (Leo Gram- 

 maticus, Ghronographia, p. 483.) Constantine was baptized 

 on the Festival of the Epiphany, or on Jan. 6, 905, so the 

 comet may be dated for Nov. and Dec. 904. 



905. On May 22 a comet was seen near a and /3 Gemino- 

 rum. Its tail was 30° long and reached to the fore-feet of the 

 Great Bear. On June 12 the comet went out from a and y 

 Leonis; on June 13 clouds obscured the sky, and on June 18 

 the comet had disappeared. — (Ma-tuoan-lin.) From the Eu- 

 ropean account in the Ghronicon Floriacense, it would rather 

 seem that it was the head of the comet which was in Ursa 

 Major, and that the tail reached to the zodiacal region ; but 

 the description is altogether very vague, and the Chinese 

 testimony generally is preferable in such cases. 



912. A comet appeared for fifteen days in the W. like unto 

 a sword. — (Leo Grammaticus, p. 487.) It lasted for fourteen 

 days in the N.W. in March. — (Hugo, Monachus Floriacensis, 

 Ghronicon.) On May 13 a comet went out from the sidereal 

 division of v Hydras to near % Leonis. — (Ma-tuoan-lin.) Pro- 

 bably Halley's Comet, the P. P. occurring early in April. — 

 (Hind.) 



912 or 913. A comet was seen in Egypt in the year 300 of 

 the Hegira. — (Hali, Comment, in Ptolemceus.) This year com- 

 menced on August 18, 912, and ended on August 6, 913. 



923. In October or November a comet was seen near y 

 and 8 Cancri. — (De Mailla, vii. 210.) 



928. On December 13 a comet came from the S.W. Its 

 P. A. was 5° greater than that of /3 Capricorni. Its tail was 10° 

 long and pointed to the S.E. After three evenings it ceased 

 to be visible. — (Ma-tuoan-lin.) 



936. On September 21 a comet came from the sidereal 

 division of /3 and a Aquarii. It was 1° long and passed near £ 

 Aquarii and p Capricorni. — (Ma-tuoan-lin.) 



939. " There was seen in Italy for eight successive nights 

 a comet of surprising grandeur ; it threw out rays of extraor- 

 dinary length/'' — (Luitprandi, Ticinensis, Beriim Gestarum, v. 

 1.) Possibly July was the month. 



VOL. vi. — no. 11. K 



