Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 76.djvu/25

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of his plates, and is apparently the first who succeeded in photographing it. The first plate to show it was taken August 28, but he did not venture to announce it until September 11. At Greenwich two plates were taken September 9. At first nothing unusual was detected, but, after hearing of Dr. Wolf's discovery, a reexamination showed faint images on both plates. It has since been photographed and observed visually at several places. On the seventeenth the first view was obtained of it at the Flower Observatory.

The observed place differs from the computed one in right ascension 24s, and 4′ in declination, bringing the time of perihelion passage to April 20.0. Another result gives the time of perihelion, April 18.63.

The nearest approach to the earth will be in May 19, the distance about 14,000,000 miles. On May 18.14, Greenwich mean time, the earth and comet will be in heliocentric conjunction. It is not unlikely that on this date the earth will pass through the tail.

At the meeting of the Astronomical Society, 1908, a committee on comets was appointed, with the understanding that special attention