349 2470 3 5 0

~

:ion to an orbit which is heregiven:

A New Comet (the Great Comet of Sept. 1882).

Sept. 9d17h2qrn51T4 '3 1 7 31 2 1 . 5

1423 I 0 13.7 1 5 23 2 2 36.6 16 23 39 0.3

X brilliant comet first seen in Australia on the mor- ning of the gth of September*) has since been observed here on every occasion, when the very cloudy weather which has prevailed would permit.

It became so bright just before perihelion that it was seen at noon with the naked eye, within four degrees of the sun on the 17th and was observed on the meridian with the transit circle on three days. It is now (Sept. 25th) again visible in the early morning. On the 2qth it was easily seen with a 41/2" telescope three hours after sunrise. Its tail was seen 15' long in the bright dawn and was about I' wide at the end. This morning although markedly less bright it was seen in the same telescope 2 0 minutes after sunrise.

From observations obtained on the 9th, 1 3 ~ ~ and

Sept. 9 d 7h44m56?6 I W '3 7 5 7 26.7j

14 13 30 18.9 1 5 13 42 41.8

+ 1~21237 + 4 31.11

T = Sept. 1 7 . 1 7 5 JE = 275'12'

$2 = 353 38 i = 38 10

log?? = 7.6906 Motion retrograde.

+ I' 5:82 9h45m46!4~l 90~53'361'0 Lamont 2 2 7 7 + 1 5 41.02 10 28 48.49 90 1 7 49.2 30 Sextantis

Cap. Cat. 5 7 39

transits ' O 45 53'34 '9 5 5 47-'

I I I 22 37.75 88 47 55 .2 1 1 2 14.89 89 29 39.2

The exceedingly small perihelion distance, as well as the other elements of this comet exhibit a decided simila- rity to that of 1843.

The positions hitherto obtained are attached.

Places of the Great Comet of September 1882 from observations made with the North Equatorial, aperture 41/2inches, and the transit circle of the Melbourne Observatory.

A.R.A. Melbourne M. T. 1 Greenwich M. T. I Obs. 1 Nbr. 1 1 A.N.P.D. 1 & app. RA. /&app.N.P.D. 1 Comp. with -

I I l l I I I I 4 2

The meridian transit of Sept. 1 5 was observed with great difficulty the comet being obscured by cloud.

Melbourne Observatory I 882 Sept. 25. Rob. y. EZZery. -

'> Kiach dem Science Observer Circular 28 hat Dr. Gould in Cordoba den Cometen am 6. Sept. entdeckt. A>.

IJeber den grossen Seytemloercometen 1882. iluszug aus einem Schreiben van Herrn Ch. Andri, Director der Sternwarte zu Lyon, an den Herausgeber.

Le 24. Septembre dernier la tCte de la comete etait limitee par une ligne brillante tres nette et son noyau etait sensiblernent circulaire.

Le 10. Octobre de grands changements s'ktaient pro- duits - la ligne brillante, qui limitait la t&te a disparu, le noyau s'est allonge et a les dimensions suivantes:

I 5" en Iargeur, 49" en longueur,

281' comme angle de position.

De plus ce noyau presente A son interieur deux cen- tres de condensation distincts, le premier plus brillant tres

pres de l'extremite anterieure de la t&te, le second moins intense et au deux tiers environ du noyau, A partir de cette extremite anterieure.

Le I 2 . Octobre le noyau prtsente semblablement les mCmes apparences. Mais la queue est partagee en deux parties presque egales par une nervure mkdiane et limitee sur chaque bord par deux arCtes rectilignes ; la moitit nord est peu brillante, l'autre l'est relativement beaucoup ; les deux bords se prolongent faibles un peu au dessous du noyau mais sans se rejoindre.

La longueur de la queue ttait de 17'. Observatoire de Lyon 1882 Octobre 18.

Ch. And&.