THE COMET.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 19 December 1927, Page 5

THE COMET.

SEEN IN AMERICA. \ DESCRIBED AS SKJELLERUP. Piesj Association-Electric XeleGraph-Copjright. (Received- Monday, 5.50 a.in.) NEW YORK, Sunday. (Reports from (Flagstaff, Arizona, and I/a Plata, Argentina, state that the Skjellerup comet is visible to the naked eye, but astronomers in New York and have failed to see it. The United States naval observatory astronomer made a Right in an aeroplane to a height of ten thousand feet, but a high layer of haze prevented observation. It is expected that it will be visible to tho naked eye in every part of the 'Western hemisphere within a day or two. Doctor Slipher, Director of the Lowell Observatory, at Flagstaff, described the comet as follows: —“It is unusually brilliant. It was brighten than Venus at her maximum brilliancy on Friday, even though the dazzling rays of the sun extended over this region. This indicates that it was of “Minus Five” •magnitude. At the time the length of .the tail visible to the naked eye was ■about half a degree or the diameter of the full moon. The spectroscope analysis of the comet’s light shows the latter to be practically all reflected sunlight. Direct photographs of the comet -■shdyp it to have a small nucleus, varying considerably in shape from an elongated to a circular form with nets -directed toward the sun. Conspicuous •envelopes were visible on the sunward :side of the nucleus.”