Page:The story of the comets.djvu/132

92 appearance of an arched way in the heavens, through which the stars are sometimes seen to pass."

The total disappearance of Biela's Comet has now to be narrated. It returned again to perihelion in Sept. 1852, and was visible for 3 weeks in the condition of one principal comet with a baby comet of the same shape travelling alongside of it. The same reason which prevented it from being seen in 1839 also caused it to pass undetected in May 1859, so that its next anticipated return in Jan. 1866 was looked forward to with much interest. Would it return? Would the companion comet be there? If so, alongside the principal comet? or left behind at a greater or less distance? That the two would have to be treated as two distinct bodies was sufficiently shown to be the judgment of astronomers by the fact that in the sweeping ephemeris issued by Hind for facilitating their rediscovery in 1859 two independent sets of elements and positions were given.

But all in vain: neither the big nor the little comet were seen, nor have they ever been seen since, except, perhaps, in a totally transformed condition, as to which more anon. It was calculated that in 1865-6 the comet would be very favourably placed in the Heavens, and very elaborate search was made for it, unsuccessfully, at numerous European observatories. Astronomers, with one exception, gave up the matter in despair. The exception was Klinkerfues of Göttingen. He kept his attention on the subject, and as the result of his labours he sent on Nov. 30, 1872, to Pogson, at Madras, a telegram worded as follows:—"Biela touched Earth on 27th: Search near Theta Centauri." The search was made and with the extraordinary result that a comet was found. Observations of it were obtained on Dec. 2 and 3,