No. 124 of 248 · The Natural History Series
The Great Comet of 1861
Pictures by Warren De La RueWords by Amédée Guillemin
The head of the Great Comet of 1861 glows against a dark sky, its veils of light arching like a lantern, as drawn by Warren De La Rue through his telescope. That June the Earth passed right through the comet's tail, and the sky glowed strangely, a sight De La Rue, a pioneer of photographing the sky, set down from life. For someone who loves the stars.
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On the back
From the great astronomy books of the 1800s / The Great Comet of 1861 / Drawn by Warren De La Rue / In June 1861 the Earth passed through this comet's tail, and the sky glowed strangely. Warren De La Rue, a pioneer of photographing the sky, drew its head through his telescope. / The World of Comets, 1877 / Amédée Guillemin's history of the great comets, translated from the French by the astronomer James Glaisher.
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