“The Comet”

Date

12-24-1811

Newspaper

The Times

Page and Column

Page 3, Column 1

Newspaper Location

Charleston, South Carolina

Serial Number

414

Abstract

Report from England concerning the comet. No mentions of earthquakes.

Transcript

THE COMET. The following calculations have been made by an astronomical observer at Epping:-- The Comet was in its ascending node on the 14th of July, at a distance of 138,117 270 miles from the sun; its motion is retrogade, and its orbit passes close (within 39 minutes) to the north pole of the heavens; it was nearest the sun on the 12th of September, and to the earth on the 11th of October, when its distance from the latter body was 113,630,450 miles. On the 22d, the Comet will be equidistant from the earth and sun, and in about three days after, its distance from the earth will begin to increase very rapidly, and therefore we must expect its brilliance, its apparent size, and length of tail to diminish in a similar ratio, when that time, though I think it will be visible till about the end of December; but, before then, it will cease to become an object of public attention, Millions of Miles from the Earth. October 11, 113,630,450 12, 113,948,925 22, 116,205,900 25, [unreadable] Nov. 1, [unreadable] 19, 244,730,460 Had this Comet made its appearance about five months earlier, the position of the earth would have been such, as to have rendered their minimum distance from each other much less than at present, and, instead of a tail 12 degrees, it would have appeared to extend over more than 30 degrees of the heavens; its nearest distance from the earth would have been no more than 44,403,850 miles, and its apparent diameter would have been increased nearly in the inverse ratio of its distance. This Comet is much larger than the Moon, but it is difficult to measure its diameter, owing to the dense atmosphere that surrounds it; yet, from its distance, and the apparent size of its nucleus, it must be a body of considerable magnitude; its tail is not less than 49, 401, 960 miles in length. So great has been the emission of electric fluid from the Comet, that a gentleman counted not less than twelve, what are commonly termed stars falling, on Friday night, between the hours of 8 and 9 o'clock. A very beautiful phenomenon appeared in the heavens on Wednesday night. It arose from the tail of the Comet being intersected by a very luminous shot star (as it is commonly called). For several seconds, the Comet was divided at about right angles, by the brilliant line of fire proceeded from this meteoric exhulation, and the effect was as singularly fine as can well be imagined. London Statesman, October 21.

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