Page:Memoir and correspondence of Caroline Herschel (1876).djvu/104

82 orbit, who, in page 7, speaks of the possibility of seeing a curious and beautiful transit of it over the sun's disk, should the earth and comet be in the line of the nodes at the same time, without horror at the thought of our being involved in its immense tail. I would not affirm that there may not exist some astronomers so enthusiastic that they would not dislike to be whisked away from this low terrestrial spot into the higher regions of the heavens by the tail of a comet, and exchange our narrow uniform orbit for one vastly more extended and varied. But I hope you, dear Miss Caroline, for the benefit of terrestrial astronomy, will not think of taking such a flight, at least till your friends are ready to accompany you. Mrs. Maskelyne joins me in best compliments to yourself and Dr. and Mrs. Herschel. If your observation was precise as to the difference of A.R. of the comet and β Lyræ, it may be of use for determining the orbit, especially if the comet should be going off from us. I have not yet examined whether it can be the French comet discovered by M. Messier, on the 26th of last month, which was going from the earth. Its apparent motion must have turned at right angles to its former one, which is possible, but not very probable. I could not see your comet with the night glass, nor would its faintness allow of illuminating the wires.

December 22, 1788. ,— Your intelligence of the comet I received, but on account of the long time elapsed since the 2nd and 3rd of this month we have not been able to recover the fugitive.