Is there any example in history of the division of a comet into several parts?–The comet of B.C. 371–Ephorus, Seneca and Pingre–Similar observations in Europe and China–The Olinda double comet, observed in Brazil, in 1860, by M. Liais.

The doubling of Biela's comet did not fail to direct attention to the several instances on record of analogous phenomena which had hitherto been looked upon as little worthy of belief. It was then remembered that Democritus had, according to Aristotle, related the fact of a comet having suddenly divided into a great number of little stars. It was this, perhaps, that gave rise to the opinion of certain philosophers of antiquity that comets were composed of two or more wandering stars. Seneca, in endeavouring to refute this opinion, mentions the account, given by Ephorus, the Greek historian, of the division of the comet of the year B.C. 371 into two stars. He thus expresses himself:–

‘ Ephorus, who is far from being an historian of unimpeachable veracity, is often deceived–often a deceiver. This comet, for example, upon which all eyes were so intently fixed on account of the immense catastrophe produced by its apparition– the submersion of the towns of Helice and Bura – Ephorus pretends divided into two stars. No one but himself has related this fact. Who could possibly have observed at what moment the comet dissolved and divided into two? And besides, if this division was actually seen to take place, how is it that no one saw the comet form itself into two stars ? Why has not Ephorus given the names of these two stars ?’