CHAPTER II

1847-1854

MISS MITCHELL’S COMET—­EXTRACTS FROM DIARY—­THE COMET

Miss Mitchell spent every clear evening on the house-top “sweeping” the heavens.

No matter how many guests there might be in the parlor, Miss Mitchell would slip out, don her regimentals as she called them, and, lantern in hand, mount to the roof.

On the evening of Oct. 1, 1847, there was a party of invited guests at the Mitchell home.  As usual, Maria slipped out, ran up to the telescope, and soon returned to the parlor and told her father that she thought she saw a comet.  Mr. Mitchell hurried upstairs, stationed himself at the telescope, and as soon as he looked at the object pointed out by his daughter declared it to be a comet.  Miss Mitchell, with her usual caution, advised him to say nothing about it until they had observed it long enough to be tolerably sure.  But Mr. Mitchell immediately wrote to Professor Bond, at Cambridge, announcing the discovery.  On account of stormy weather, the mails did not leave Nantucket until October 3.

Frederick VI., King of Denmark, had offered, Dec. 17, 1831, a gold medal of the value of twenty ducats to the first discoverer of a telescopic comet.  The regulations, as revised and amended, were republished, in April, 1840, in the “Astronomische Nachrichten.”

When this comet was discovered, the king who had offered the medal was dead.  The son, Frederick VII., who had succeeded him, had not the interest in science which belonged to his father, but he was prevailed upon to carry out his father’s designs in this particular case.

The same comet had been seen by Father de Vico at Rome, on October 3, at 7.30 P.M., and this fact was immediately communicated by him to Professor Schumacher, at Altona.  On the 7th of October, at 9.20 P.M., the comet was observed by Mr. W.R.  Dawes, at Kent, England, and on the 11th it was seen by Madame Ruemker, the wife of the director of the observatory at Hamburg.

The following letter from the younger Bond will show the cordial relations existing between the observatory at Cambridge and the smaller station at Nantucket: 

    Cambridge, Oct. 20, 1847.

Dear Maria:  There!  I think that is a very amiable beginning, considering the way in which I have been treated by you!  If you are going to find any more comets, can you not wait till they are announced by the proper authorities?  At least, don’t kidnap another such as this last was.

If my object were to make you fear and tremble, I should tell you that on the evening of the 30th I was sweeping within a few degrees of your prize.  I merely throw out the hint for what it is worth.

    It has been very interesting to watch the motion of this comet
    among the stars with the great refractor; we could almost see it
    move.