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[Daily Reveille, Austin, Nevada, Monday, October 6, 1882]

The Comet Cracked.

The sky being perfectly clear, early this morning, for the first time in a week, the new comet was seen to the very best advantage. Shortly after 4 o'clock it appeared in full, the bright nucleus then clearing the top of the mountains, with the tail standing boldly upward, a little to the right, and bearing the appearance of a strong upward stroke of a whitewasher's brush on a dark blue wall. Many people on Main street, and elsewhere about the city, embraced the opportunity to see the comet. Everybody approved of the brilliant show, and no one noticed that anything was the matter with the comet, yet a telegram from the East says that a Nashville astronomer, on Thursday morning, discovered that the nucleus in the comet had separated into three unequal fragments. The largest he estimates to be fifteen thousand miles in length. The space between these fragments of this nucleus is estimated at no less than two thousand miles. If such really is the case, by careful watching, some of us may see this comet explode some fine morning.

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rstew160

Named "The Great Comet of 1882," it is thoroughly discussed on the Internet. It did, indeed, break into several parts.