THE COMET.

Evening Post, Issue 6, 14 February 1865, Page 3

THE COMET.

Mr. Her«chel Bablm??, In i communication tothV-S-Mith Australian' lleghter, writes us follow* Pi>'a ivc totlH*ts»ltiet How observable It the heavens :— " I think that there can be burjjttlu doubt that t!te*i fflen ii Ico net novr vUI il* noon aft f sunset, is the ce'ebra'pd CMIU 1 of 1*843 -- 1 By tar the- most remarkable fiat hsi« been seen tlio -present century' (Her chut) -come buck to us again ns,,predictcJ by Sir Join Herscbel. Ths ftyr«»nnm«r» aftor rfiseiissinsr the prob-ibilititS of (Tie ronl period of this comet being 2! f yW.s. oh duieTininedfb/ mast observers, si}*, i rlii. * Ouliurflof Astronomy*—' Should this %Ibvt of the subject be tl}£ truf » ne. we mayk» cxinci,it« rfttirii nhont tli* end of 1864 or begJnnina of 18G5, in which event it will be « ufe'fyable °iii ihe gombeen t hemisphere, bob b^|«iru hiul afie* its perihelion (nearest <H*tancV fro.n the. smi) passage.' Tliu co-net is iwiriirnlarlv remarkable for the neiirnes< of its approash in ilie sun, as is passed in 1913 wililmi uiiL* j>f (he sin's iaHih of itluminous aui'fncn, and was e'xpiscd. according t«~M>'Jol>n lierschel, In a glare equal to 47,000 of sncli sun* an our.«(mnearj»to v«, a111a 1 d to ii lioitt wldo'i would me>#OorllflTi:in, aW ti« ft"d rck on Mai. T\y* r a**mt^ojun.t. qf 1810 did ntn t npprnaoh t n^WH4|oS|*'*t ban drtftbe the il'stiiiicc of our comet ; and yet Newt<n gi ciliated llio h .at to whii;h it was exposid to hu iwo tlio'Mnnd tiuuis that of r. il h >i m n. Thy c miet of 1843, n'nd I think. I m iy siy of l&fiij appeared in ,1603. wlipii its lai 1 , wh'eh appeared lontf hefuru its lipad eiim" above ihe Eiropean horizon, win so bright that its refljfilui ciuld lie si-tn on the sea ; and I inn convinced tint tin tall tf our c m»r a'so mijlit readily h ivqfiwn seen last ni'.ht refl ced f)u a inodcmfWyca'irt nrfuceof wati j r. 'Jfh.f uo.iK't of 1841 w*s dourly visible in fu 1 d 13*1 sfht In tin; sin's im:ii"di.ite vicinity, when It resembled a pure wbi'e cloud, a* diftinetiy defltvii as <be moon itsc'f. I <il iot Beeoiiroinet iHitil l,tst uu'it on cminij «'i,t or Church, about nine o'clock, when its ftp}iearit<ice guve mo the impression of a fallinjr docket neon through It slight hti*', arrested In mid tinrwr. I venture to say that theintert'M whidh this coret will. ejtolti! in the scientific! world in Europe will be very great, and it is no elftilit disgrace to South Australia and its Guverhinunt that, although we have hud anwugtt »f# for some years' a perfectly qnalifled observer,- our" oluerva'nry is still on pij»pr only, and we d > not pn«» fs a decent telescope, or any beyriml the cnmirioiiestthc'ins of m.»kiug observiiti'ilis tifion so interesting a visitor as the oile w!io nightly appears on our western