Abstract
LONG-EXPOSURE photographs of comet c 1908 have been obtained with the 30-inch reflector on September 6, 7, 8, 14, 17, 18, 21, 25, and 26, the exposure ranging from forty-five minutes to an hour (except on September 14 and 25, when exposures of twenty minutes were made). The comet possesses a bright tail, the structure of which is well shown in the photographs, to a distance of 1½° from the head. The appearance of the tail changes greatly from night to night, so that photographs taken at much shorter intervals than a day are desirable in order to trace the alterations in structure continuously. With this in view, on September 17 three photographs, with exposures of forty-five minutes, were taken at intervals of approximately an hour (reckoned from the middle of each exposure); decided change had occurred between the first and last photographs, and the middle photograph served to show how the transition had taken place. Efforts are being-made to obtain a series of photographs at short intervals extending throughout a night, but so far the full moon and the weather have prevented this.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
CHRISTIE, W. Photographs of Comet c 1908 at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. Nature 78, 539 (1908). https://doi.org/10.1038/078539b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/078539b0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.