HALLEY'S COMET AS SEEN AT GUERNSEY IN 

 1835 and 1910. 



BY BASIL T. ROW8WELL. 

 0 



The recent visit of H alley's comet to the sun was, from a 

 spectacular point of view, a sore disappointment to the 

 inhabitants of the British Isles. For this, however, there is 

 every reason to believe the comet itself was in no way to 

 blame, but rather that it was owing to our misfortune to be 

 passing just at the critical time through that part of our year 

 when the days were almost at their longest. Comets' tails 

 are very light ethereal things ; their light is easily put out by 

 twilight or moonlight. And it so happened that at the time 

 of nearest approach to us the season of twilight reigned in the 

 land ; there was no real night in the British Isles, while in 

 addition bright moonlight also interfered with successful 

 observation for the matter of a full week or more. Bad 

 weather, too, in the shape of dull, overcast skies, helped to 

 make matters worse on a good many nights. Further south, 

 and in the southern hemisphere, where much better atmospheric 

 conditions obtained, the comet appears to have been seen to 

 perfection and to have made a really brave show. I have 

 spoken with a gentleman who was in South America at the 

 time, and he said that on many nights the long shaft of light 

 stretching across the heavens was particularly conspicuous and 

 striking. 



Of all the heavenly bodies known to us, Halley's comet 

 is perhaps the most interesting, and that for several reasons. 

 First there is the host of historical associations connected 

 with its many appearances down the ages. Then there is also 

 Halley's famous calculation of the comet's orbit, and his bold 

 assertion that the bright body which he and his contemporaries 

 had seen in 1682 was a return of two big comets which had 

 crossed the sky in 1531 and 1607 respectively. And last, but 

 by no means least, there is his celebrated prediction that the 

 same body would again become visible in 1759. It did, as we 

 know, appear as predicted, when it was very properly named 

 after the distinguished astronomer, and interest in its move- 

 ments, past and to come, became world-wide. 



Its next apparition was in 1835, and about this visit, as 

 seen at Guernsey, I am able to say something, having looked 

 [1910.] 



