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ABSTRACT THE COMET OF 1668.—There is one point in the history of this comet which we do not remember to have seen mentioned since its supposed reappearance in 1843 revived the attention that
was directed to it early in the last century, and it is one which, if accepted, bears materially upon the question of identity. Pingré has no reference to it in the account of the comet of
1668 in his “Cométographie.” In the report of the observations made by the French Jesuit Valentin Estancel at San Salvador, in the _Philosophical Transactions_, No. 105 (1674, July 20),
which is stated to be a translation from the _Giornale de Letterati_, No. 9, published at Rome in September, 1673, we read after the description of the evening observations commencing March
5, 1668:—“It maybe taken notice of that a month before, upon a report that a comet had been seen towards the morning in the horizon of the rising sun, and certain Carmelites that live upon a
hillock of the said town having affirmed that they had observed it several times, our P. Estancel began to doubt whether the comet he saw were not the same which, more swift than the sun,
according to the succession of the signs, might within that time have got clear of the solar rays; and his suspicion grew the stronger because the head was then turned towards the sun and
the tail towards the west, opposite to the same.” But if the comet of 1843 were in perihelion near the time which Henderson found it necessary to assume in order to satisfy the indications
of his Goa chart, it would not have preceded the sun in the first week in February, but would have had considerably greater right ascension, so as to be visible only in the evening.
Henderson's direct orbit, however, which upon the whole accords much better with his data, would place the comet in R.A. 311°, Decl. –71/2° on February 5, at 17h. San Salvador time, so
that it would precede the sun, which was then in R.A. 320°. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS
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_Nature_ 22, 276–277 (1880). https://doi.org/10.1038/022276a0 Download citation * Issue Date: 22 July 1880 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/022276a0 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the
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