£(j0 ON THE PLANET VESTA. 



could be obtained of that space of the heavens, in which our 

 new wanderer was pursuing its hitherto unknown path. 

 Looked for. As soon as I found that small stars might be perceived, I 



made several delineations of certain telescopic constellations, 

 the first of which was as represented in rig. 4, PI. VII, and I 

 fixed upon the star A, as most likely, from its expected si- 

 tuation and v brightness, to be the one I was looking for. The 

 stars in this figure, as well as in all the other delineations I had 

 made, were carefully examined with several magnifying pow- 

 ers, that in case any one of them should hereafter appear to 

 have been the lately discovered object, I might not lose the 

 opportunity of un early acquaintance with its condition. An 

 observation of the star marked A, in particular, was made 

 with a very distinct magnifying power of 460, and says, that 

 it had nothing in its appearance that differed from what we 

 see in other stars of the same size ; indeed Dr. Olbers, by 

 mentioning in the communication which I received, that - 

 Presumed to with such magnifying powers as he could use, it was not 

 be an asteroid. to ^ e distinguished from a fixed star*, had already pre- 

 pared me to expect the newly discovered heavenly body to 

 be a valuable addition to our increasing catalogue of aste- 

 roids. 



The 25th of April I looked over my delineations of the 

 preceding evening, antl found no material difference in the 

 situation of the stars I had marked for examination ; and in 

 addition to them new asterisms were prepared, but on ac- 

 count of the retarded motion of the new star, which was 

 drawing towards a period of its retrogradation, the small 

 change of its situation was not sufficiently marked, to be rea- 

 dily perceived the next day when these asterisms were again 

 examined, which it is well known can only be done with 

 night-glasses of a very low magnifying power. 



A long interruption of bad weather would not permit any 

 regular examination of the situation of small stars ; and it 

 was only when I had obtained a more precise information 

 from the Astronomer Royal, who, by means of fixed instru- 



* Der ncus planet zeigt sich als ein stern 7\vi?chen der 5ten and f.fen 

 gnisse, und ist im f.rnrohr, weni'j.sten mit den vergrosserun^en dip icfi 

 anwenaen kann, \on tinen fixstern nicht zu unterscheldeu. 



ments, 



