156 G. F. Chambers — Halley''s Comet. 



By the s^roat majority of non-professional observers, who 

 had been \o\\^ waitino- for a view, it will be remembered as it 

 appeared art)und May 24 between 9 and 10 p. m., some 10° 

 below Regulus and about of the 2d magnitude, with a tail 

 faint but well defined, straight and easily discernible to the 

 naked eye for a length of 25°, pointing almost directly toward 

 the planet Jupiter, which was some -10° from the nucleus. 



Tlie curvatiire of the tail was considerable but was not con- 

 spicuous either before or after its perigee because the plane of 

 the curvature was but little inclined to the line of sight. It 

 was sufficient so that the tail was seen in the morning sky on 

 the 20th of April, the day after the comet passed between the 

 earth and the sun. tlie nucleus at the same time being in the 

 evening sky. i 



It is not unlikely that this phenomenon was due to the for- 

 mation of two separate tails of Bredechins types, extending on 

 opposite sides of the earth at the same time. 



In comparison with former appearances there is considerable 

 evidence that the tail was somewhat less brilliant than here- 

 tofore, thongh the difference was not very remarkable nor 

 more than was to be expected. 



Considerable interest was felt in *the passage of the eartli 

 through the tail, which on account of the curvature probably 

 occurred on the 20th of April instead of the day of conjunction. 

 Indeed, on account of the uncertainty as to the distribution of 

 the cometic matter and the amount of curvature, it is not 

 possible to assert positively that the earth actually passed 

 through any portion of the tail. 



No evidence of the occurrence was obtained in the form of 

 afterglow or shooting-stars, nor was any special effort to 

 this end made by astronomers. A suggestion of analyzing 

 great volumes of air for several days after the 20th to detect 

 unusual chemical constituents was not considered worth the 

 trouble, if indeed it were practicable. 



The occurrence of this phenomenon took a strong hold on 

 the populai' imagination, and in spite of all tliat was published 

 as to the impossibility of any harm from it or the possibility 

 of even detecting it, ignorant people were genuinely alarmed 

 and great numbers kept watch in the streets of the cities 

 during the night of the 19th, though in fact, as before ex- 

 plained, the earth did not actually pass through the tail until 

 the 20t]i, if at all. 



At the time of the publication of this article no detailed 

 reports of spectroscopic observations have appeared. 



WILLIAM BEEBE. 



