Abstract
DAYLIGHT OBSERVATIONS OF WELLS' COMET.—At the Dudley Observatory, Albany, this comet was observed on the meridiam as early as June 5, just before noon, and again on June 11 and 12. The aperture of the object-glass of the transit-circle is 8 inches, the focal length of the telescope 10 feet. A detailed description, with engraving of the instrument with which these notable observations were made, will be found in vol. i. of the Annals of the Dudley Observatory. On June 5 the comet was not perceived until forty seconds after transit, and was observed with difficulty on a single wire, but the positions obtained on the subsequent dates were considered very satisfactory. The true nucleus was seen at the observation of June 11, made about sixteen hours after the perihelion passage, and the estimated diameter of the disc was 0.″75. The nebulosity of the coma was uniform and faint about 10″ in diameter. It is stated that “while the nucleus was observed for position, the coma was scarcely noticed at all.” The atmospheric conditions on this day were such as are well known to conduce to easy vision of objects in daylight. “The sky was sparsely covered with cumulus clouds, while the intermediate clear spaces were exceedingly transparent.” On June 12 the nebulosity had increased in brightness, but the image was very unsteady, and “either for that reason, or because of the increased brightness of the nebulous screen, the nucleus proper could not be seen.” The very favourable observation on the preceding day gave the following apparent position of the comet:—
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Our Astronomical Column . Nature 26, 281 (1882). https://doi.org/10.1038/026281a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/026281a0