Latest from Rome and beyond

• AN INEXACT SCIENCE | 6:46 a.m. ET

There were again a few moments of confusion among thousands of faithful gathered in St Peter's Square as gray smoke initially emerged, as it did after Monday's first vote.

"It wasn't clear. It looked white, then black, but I guess any amount of black means they have not chosen. It's disappointing," said Briton Justin Fox in the square.

The smoke comes from burning ballot papers and any notes made by cardinals. Additives determine the color although the early confusion suggested this is an inexact science in the Vatican.

• BLACK SMOKE | 5:54 a.m. ET

For the second day, cardinals have failed to elect a new pope. Black smoke is rising from the conclave, signaling that no successor to John Paul II has yet been chosen.

• CONCLAVE BY THE NUMBERS | 3:26 a.m. ET

Cardinals head into a first full day of voting for a new pope on Tuesday after an inaugural ballot failed to find a successor to John Paul II.

In the 20th century, there were eight conclaves. They lasted from 2 days (1939 and 1978) to 5 days (1922). The average length of a conclave was just over 3 days.

The number of ballots needed to elect the new pontiff ranged from a low of three in 1939 to a high of 14 in 1922. The average number of ballots needed to select a pope was just under eight.

The precise number of ballots is sometimes disputed by historians as the sole official record of each conclave is sealed in an envelope in the papal archives.

In the conclave that began on Monday, 117 cardinals are eligible to vote but two are not attending because of illness. A first ballot on Monday was inconclusive. Starting on Tuesday, cardinals will hold up to four ballots each day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon.

• CONFUSION IN THE SQUARE | 3:20 p.m. ET

There was some initial confusion among the thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square, as smoke started to waft from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney.

Many in the crowd of 40,000 started shouting, “It’s white.” But the cries quickly gave way to sighs of disappointment as the smoke clearly became black, signaling the cardinals had failed to elect a new pope.

• NO POPE TODAY | 2 p.m. ET

Reuters issues the following bulletin: "BLACK SMOKE FROM SISTINE CHAPEL SIGNALS NO POPE ELECTED"

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