مسیح اور مہدیؑ — Page 303
خاص نشانات کا ظہور اور تیرھویں صدی مسیح اور مہدی حضرت محمد رسول اللہ کی نظر میں 303 عکس حوالہ نمبر : 103 Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 23(2), 353-374 (2020)۔COMET TALES FROM INDIA: THE GREAT SEPTEMBER COMET OF 1882 (C/1882 R1) R۔C۔Kapoor Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Koramangala, Bengaluru 560034, India۔E-mails: rckapoor@outlook۔com and rck@iiap۔res۔in Abstract: This paper brings together India-centric accounts of the Great Comet that appeared in 1882۔Il grew to be the most magnificent one seen since the Great Comel of 1843, and was observed from throughout the Indian Subcontinent۔The comet of 1882 has been variously designated as the Great September Comet, 1882 II, 1882b and C/1882 R1۔We look into the observations of the comet made in India by persons of diverse backgrounds, namely, by Norman Pogson, Major G۔Strahan, Dr Mahendralal Sircar, A۔V۔Narsinga Rao, James Burrell Smith and J۔Philaire, from different locations۔The Madras Observatory observations stand out with Norman Pogson noting the pre-perihelion dual nature of the nucleus before it was reported elsewhere۔Keywords: Comet Tales from India, Great September Comet of 1882, Comet C/1882 R1, Madras Obscrvatory, George Strahan, Norman Pogson۔Narsinga Rao, Mahendralal Sircar۔James Burrell Smith 1 INTRODUCTION Although the subject of comets has received space in a few old Indian astronomy texts, the description remains confined only to their mor- phology and the ominous implications۔No- where is there an allusion as to a specific comet or even a hint that some real time ob- servations were made۔Varāhamihira (CE 485-587) has in the Brhat Samhita (CE 505) a chapter 'Ketuchāra' that is about ketus (com- ets), some of which, he says, are terrestrial and some celestial۔Ironically, there are no real-time comets here۔Cross-checking with Kronk's (1999) Cometography (Volume 1), 33 comets appeared during Varāhamihira's life- time۔He may not have observed them all but he could not have missed ones like Comet 1P/Halley that visited in CE 530۔There is no commentary on it from any other quarters in India either۔We find déjà vu in the Adbhuta- sagara by the King Ballal Sena of the Sena Dynasty who commenced its composition in CE 1168 (and it was completed by his son Lakshmanasena)۔The Adbhutasagara mirrors the Brhat Samhita in its treatment of ketus, with nothing on any of the comets in the times of the Senas, e۔g۔, the Comet 1P/Halley in CE 1145, etc۔The observations of comets from India that figure in the historical accounts, with however fleeting a reference, can be traced back to the sixteenth century only when stray references begin to appear in literary works and the chronicles, and later in the travelogues and even in the scientific literature (scc Ka- poor, 2018a)۔1 There are several published accounts of comet observations made in India since the seventeenth century that have some scientific merit۔In this paper I provide India-centric stor- ies relating to the very interesting comet that appeared in the year 1882۔This was a bright daytime comet that became famous as the 'Great September Comet' (see Figure 1) and turned out to be the most spectacular ever since the Great Comet of 1843۔This comet has been previously designated 1882 || and 1882b, and is now known as C/1882 R1۔It was followed extensively from throughout the world, but observations of it from India were only reported by relatively few people, many of them astronomers۔Full details of the internat- ional observations are to be found in the books by Vsekhsvyatskii (1964: 265-267) and Kronk (2003: 503-516)۔The Great September Comet was observ- ed in India, by a few astronomers with tele- scopes, from different locations۔Incidentally, two other comets were seen that same year۔One of these, designated C/1882 F1, also was observed at Madras Observatory۔This comet was discovered in the constellation of Hercules by C۔S۔Wells of Albany, USA, on 18۔37 March and was last observed on 16۔75 August; it passed perihelion on 11۔0296 June (Kronk, 2003: 496-503)۔In his Administration Report of the Madras Observatory for the year 1882 Pogson (1883) mentions observing this comet on four mornings in June 1882۔No other in- formation is given۔In fact, in just one line, he writes of the observations having been made of two comets, namely C/1882 F1 (Wells) and C/1882 R1 (the Great September Comet)۔About the latter, Pogson (1883: 1) wrote: *۔and the great Comet, long so conspicuous to the naked eye, was also observed on thirteen mornings in September and October۔" Before we describe observations of the Great September Comet of 1882 from India, it is desirable to provide a brief description of Madras Observatory and the equipment there, particularly during Norman Pogson's Director- ship۔Page 353