Comet 1862 seen from Brighton

 Brighton Gazette Thursday 21^st August 1862

The new comet could be seen here on Thursday, Friday, Monday, and last night, without a telescope. It is a very small object, scarcely distinguishable by an unpractised eye from the neighbouring stars; rivalling them in apparent size and brilliancy, though rather hazy, and occasionally seeming to send forth thin streams of light in a direction from the sun. When examined through the large equatorial, in the observatory of Mr Howell, at Hove, the nucleus was very bright, equalling a star of the second magnitude, and casting around a luminosity of the most delicate phosphorescent appearance. This is prolonged upwards in a tail, which is extremely faint towards its extremity; and, on Monday, several small stars could be seen sinning brightly through the nebulous envelope. Both on Monday and last night an apparent jet of light from the nucleus towards the Sun was repeatedly observed. The power used for the purpose of examination was 45, as stronger glasses did not exhibit the various phenomena so distinctly.

Barclay Phillips, Brighton, August 20^th 1862

My Note,

This could be comet swift tuttle the parent comet to the Perseid meteor shower