Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 October 1902 — PROF. PERRINE’S COMET VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PROF. PERRINE’S COMET VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE.

Perrine’s comet has recently been visible to the naked eye. On Oct. 8, when it was at its nearest approach to the earth, it was about 35,000,000 miles from this planet. This comet is of special interest because it was discovered by an American! —Prof. Perrine of Lick Observatory—and because it is one of the few comets that men have been able to see without! the help of a telescope. Astronomers er-‘ erywhere have been watching it since Prof. Perrine discovered it through thegreat refracting telescope at Mount 1 Hamilton, Cal. When he found it it was* of the ninth magnitude and was holding on its course near the constellation Perseus, and also near the familiar star cluster called the Pleiades. The comet can be seen not far from) the constellation Cassiopeia, which is l very close to the pole star. It looks like a luminous haze, with scarcely any head! or nucleus. It has a short tail, and cannot be described as having any particular shape. As it resembles all comets in l the remarkable irregularity of its actions,! the astronomers have not been able to] predict much about it other than to de-; scribe its path and to indicate that iff will reach its perihelion, or its nearest; approach to the sun, about Nov. 23, when it will be distant from the sun about 37,000,000 miles. - f The comet is moving so rapidly thatj the vast distances it traverses over the heavens are; apt to confuse the uninitiated observer unless he watches closely andi looks carefully for it Its path lies from* the northeast in a general southwestern direction, which may be fixed by the observation of certain prominent stars in the great constellations of the north. By, holding the drawing directly overhead and looking at it ns one would look at the sky the situation of the comet can be seen. Its path nnd direction are indicated by the arrows pointing to the southwest.

COMET’S PATH AND DIRECTION.