G. F. Chambers — llalley\ Comet. 155 



very satisfactory in themselves nor consistent with one another. 

 It seems altogether probable that the brightness of the comet 

 fluctuated irregularly in a manner not dependent on its distance 

 from the earth and sun, and this appears to the present writer 

 to be the one fact of any special scientific interest noted con- 

 cerning the comet during its entire period of visibility. 



Eev. E. T. R. Phillips, at Ashstead in Surrey, observed it on 

 ten nights between November 22 and December 29 and 

 reported as follows : 



" It has never regained the brightness of November 22, when 

 it was quite unexpectedly about magnitude 10, but it exhibited 

 some fluctuations in light. After being very faint at the end 

 of November (nearly as low as magnitude 12) it revived some- 

 what in the early part of December, but on December 6, under 

 excellent observing conditions, it was again as faint as magni- 

 tude 11'5 or 12. On December 8 it could just be glimpsed 

 occasionally with 3^ inches eccentric stop and its magnitude 

 was probably about 11. It was not seen again owing to bad 

 weather till 18th, when it was surprisingly faint considering 

 its greater proximity, probably below magnitude 12, and on 

 20th it was probably below magnitude 12"5. On 25th the 

 moon was nearly full, and the comet invisible, but it was again 

 observed on 28th. On that occasion it appeared about as difii- 

 cult as when it was first seen at Ashstead on November 16. 

 The estimated magnitude was 13." 



During January, February and March the comet approached 

 superior conjunction, and observations were for this reason 

 limited and unimportant, though during January it became vis- 

 ible to the naked eye under favorable conditions, but not in 

 the United States on account of its south declination. 



Shortly before its perihelion passage, April 19, the comet 

 passed behind the sun and appeared to the west of it in the 

 early morning, rising at the earliest about 3 a. m. 



Observations were now again limited by the brief period of 

 visibility before strong twilight, the prevalence of cloudy 

 weather and the light of the moon, which was full on April 24. 

 During the first part of May, while it had not yet much re- 

 ceded from the sim and was still approaching the earth, the tail 

 attained its greatest brightness but in length was very consid- 

 erably foreshortened. For a short time near perihelion it 

 was traced in the morning sky to a length of 140°. After 

 passing between the earth and sun on May 19, when it was 

 very nearly in true conjunction, the tail was displayed at a 

 large angle to the line of sight in the evening sky, and after 

 the full moon of May 22 at a good distance above the horizon, 

 but by reason of its increased distance from the sun it was 

 much diminished in brightness. 



