ON TWO CELESTIAL BODIES. 145 



of the bodies to which they belong, bear no refemblance to the 



comas of comets, which, even when fmallefl, exceed theirs 



above a hundred times. Not to mention the extenfive atmo- 



fpheres, and aflonifhing length of the tails, of fome comets that 



have been obferved, to which thefe new liars have nothing in 



the leaft fimilar. 



Since, therefore, neither the appellation of planets, nor that Thefe new ftars 



of comets, can with any propriety of language be given to thefe proprfetyof 



two ftars, we ought to diftinguifh them by a new name, de- language be 



noting a fpecies of celeftial bodies hitherto unknown to us, cal,ed ? ] * na * 

 , or comets, 



but which the interefting difcoveries of Mr. Piazzi and Dr. 



Olbers have brought to light. 



With this intention> therefore, I have endeavoured to find 

 out a leading feature in the character of thefe new ftars ; and, 

 as planets are diftinguifhed from the fixed liars by their vifible 

 change of lituation in the zodiac, and comets by their remark- 

 able comas, fo the quality in which thefe objects differ confi- 

 derably from the two former fpecies, is that they refemble fmali 

 ftars fo much as hardly to be diftinguiffted from them, even, 

 by very good telefcopes. It is owing to this very circumftance, 

 that they have been fo long concealed from our view. From 

 this, their afteroidical appearance, if I may ufe that cxpreffion, The author pro- 

 therefore, I fhall take my name, and call them Afieroids: pofes to call them 

 refer ving to myfelf, however, the liberty of changing that name, 

 if another, more expreffive of their nature, fhould occur. Thefe 

 bodies will hold a middle rank, between the two fpecies that 

 were known before; fo that planets, afieroids, and comets, will 

 in future comprehend all the primary celeftial bodies that either 

 remain with, or only occafionally vilit, our folar fyftem. 



I fhall now give a definition of our new aftronomical term, 

 which ought to be confiderably extenfive, that it may not only 

 take in the afteroid Ceres, as well as the afteroid Pallas, but 

 that any other afteroid which may hereafter be difcovered, let 

 its motion or lituation be whatever it may, fhall alfo be fully 

 delineated by it. This will Hand as follows. 



Afieroids are celeftial bodies, which move in orbits either of Definition of 

 little or of confiderable exeentricity round the fun, the plane ^"n^' 

 of which may be inclined to the ecliptic in any angle whatfo- 

 ever. Their motion may be direct, or retrograde ; and they 

 may or may not have confiderable atmofpheres, very fmali 

 comas, difks, or nuclei. 



Vol. IV.— March. £ 4$ 



