vatory in the Northern hemisphere except the Lick, in California, has some claim to be called "remarkable". Its main tail, which did not exceed 10° in length, was preceded by a faint tail fully 30° long, which branched out from the main tail, making with it an angle of about 40° or nearly half a right angle. On April 24, although in twilight, the nucleus was very bright and distinctly of a yellow tinge, as seen by Innes at the Cape Observatory. On May 12, though the comet had become intrinsically much fainter, it was still
Fig. 90.
BROOKS'S COMET OF 1902 (i.). (Drawn by W. R. Brooks.)
a magnificent object, and in between the 2 tails spoken of above 2 other slender tails were visible. The spectrum appeared to be continuous. The comet was visible for about 6 weeks, but bad weather both at the Cape and in Australia and the comet's inconvenient position with respect to the Sun interfered very much to prevent a good series of observations. On May 2 the nucleus is said to have rivalled Sirius in lustre and to have been distinctly elliptical in shape. Eddie, at Naauwpoort in S. Africa, speaks of the matter composing the long tail as being "striated" in appearance.[1]
- ↑ See Mon h. Not. R. A. S., vol. lxi, p. 508, June 1901; and ibid., vol. lxii, p. 194, Feb. 1902.
