Abstract
COMET NOTES.—Comet Mellish (1915 a) is moving north and towards the earth, and will be nearest about October 26 (47 million miles). It is also rapidly getting away from the sun, and its brightness is diminishing. J. Braae and J. Fischer-Petersen have extended the ephemeris given in Astronomische Nachrichten 4802. The comet is apparently moving nearly parallel to and only slightly S. of the line joining β Canis Majoris and β Orionis. It will make very close approach to each of these stars on September 27 and November 5 respectively. During this time its magnitude will have reduced from 7.7 to nearly 8.3. J. Braae also supplies a continuation of the ephemeris for the periodic comet Tempel II. (1915 c). Dr. H. Thiele, of the Bergedorf Observatory, publishes (Astronomische Nachrichten 4811), positions measured on August 9 and 10. It is now somewhat distant and retiring. Its declination is slowly decreasing on a path in Taurus, practically at right angles to that of 1915 a. For the other periodic comet at present in apparition, Winnecke's comet (1915b—this return was first observed by Dr. Thiele just mentioned), K. Hillebrand has extended the ephemeris given in Astronomische Nachrichten 4787, using slightly improved places (Astronomische Nachrichten, 4810). This comet has also passed perihelion, and does not come nearer than the sun's distance (about September 25). Its apparent path passed near K Virginis (August 31), and from Virgo passes through Libra and centrally through Scorpio, bringing it near e Scorpionis on October 4. During the last apparition (as 1909 d) it remained very faint and without observable tail or nucleus.
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Our Astronomical Column . Nature 96, 51–52 (1915). https://doi.org/10.1038/096051a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/096051a0