Abstract
WINNECKE'S COMET.—The only known comet of short period due at perihelion within the present year is that discovered by Winnecke in March, 1858, which was soon found to be identical with the third comet of 1819, detected by Pons at Marseilles on June 12, having completed seven revolutions in the interval. Encke had shown that the observations in 1819, extending over thirty-six days, were best represented by an ellipse, with a period of 2052 days, or 5.6l8 years, but it is not upon record, so far as we know, that any serious attempt was made to recover the comet when with Encke's period it might be expected to be near perihelion, and thus it remained for Winnecke to find it again after a lapse of nearly forty years. The perturbations by Jupiter and Saturn during this period have been calculated by Clausen, with the view to fix the precise value of the mean motion at the perihelion passage in 1858. Another revolution would be completed in November, 1863, but the comet's track in the heavens under that condition is so unfavourable, that no observations were secured. At the next return in 1868, however, it was well observed, and again in 1875. The calculations for this comet are understood to be in the hands of Oppölzer, of Vienna. With his elements for 1875, the next perihelion passage, without having regard to perturbations which must be small in the present revolution, would fall at the beginning of December next, in which case, the comet's apparent track must be again an unfavourable one; indeed it seems questionable if it will be possible to obtain observations. The most likely time will perhaps be late in January, but the intensity of light will then be very small.
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Our Astronomical Column . Nature 21, 264–265 (1880). https://doi.org/10.1038/021264a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/021264a0