THE NEW COMET.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 47, 24 January 1884, Page 3

THE NEW COMET.

In reference to the comet discovered by Mr Brookes, an American astronomer, on the 2nd September last, and stated to have been seen at Auckland, ib has already been pointed out that astronomers are agreed that it is identical with the- one discovered by Pons on 20th July, 1812, and calculated to baypa period of about 72 years. Pons was an indefatigable comet-hunter, and this was the sixteenth discovered by him within 10 yuars. At the time of its discovery, says a scientific contributor: tp., the. Australasian, " Hulley's comet (having a period of 76 years) was the only periodical comet known. Since then a large number have been discovered ; but all their periods have been short ones, the longest being only about 14 years. Up- to the : present time Halley's comet has remained the only one having a period of considerable length which has been observed more than once. The present ■. . comet, there* fore, 1 is of special interest. Its similar period involves the fact. that it recedes to a diatanco from tho sun exceeding that of ihe planet Neptune." The comet crossed the plane of the earth's orbit on the 16th instant, and reaches its perihelion, or point nearest- the.sun, on the morning of the 26th instant, at: a distance from the sun of somewhat over 71,000,000 miles. It does not approach so near to the sun as the comet of 1882, and therefore is not expected to appear so brilliant, but coming nearer to the earth .it may appear of even larger size when m tho most favourable position for observation. On the 28th instant it will be about equi-diataut from earth an<l sun.