COMET OBSERVED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19659, 10 June 1927, Page 11

COMET OBSERVED.

THOUGHT TO BE A NEW ONE. j SYDNEY ASTRONOMER'S FIND. A. and N.Z. SYDNEY, June 9. A Sydney astronomer, Mr, W. F. Gals, says he has discovered a new comet. Ho gives its position as in right ascension 21 hours 38 minutes, declination south 31 degrees 38 minutes. Mr. Gale says the comet presents a diffused circular mass condensed * near the middle. It is visible only by means o£ a telescope. A famous comet, the Pons-Winnecke, is at tho present time making a periodic approach to the earth. Early in -March it was detected from the Yerkes Observatory, near Chicago. First seen in the early vears of last century by the French astronomer Pons, it was not again seen until 1858. when Winrieoke. a German astronomer, rediscovered it, and it has since been as the Pons-Winnecke comet. Due to return to the vicinity of the earth every 5J years, it has been a frequent visitor iu the last 70 years, and was last under observation in 1921. when it made a close approach to our planet. This year it will come much closer, its nearest "approach being expected on June 27, when barely 4,000,000 miles will separate us. So close' ap approach will probably involve the earth in part of the comet's meteoric matter, and in the last week of Juno we may expect an unusually prolific display <jf "shooting stars tho comet brushes past our planet.