

ASTRONOMY AND METEOROLOGY. 



NEW PLANETS DISCOVERED DURING THE TEAR 1855. 



THE number of planetary bodies belonging to the solar system has been 

 increased during the year 1855 by the discovery of four new asteroids. The 

 whole number at the commencement of the year was thirty-three, the present 

 number thirty-seven. 



The thirty-fourth asteroid was discovered by Chacornac, of the Paris Ob- 

 servatory, on the night of the 6th of April. It appears as a star of the 

 eleventh magnitude, and has received the name of Circe. 



The thirty-fifth member of the asteroidal group was discovered on the 19th 

 of April, by M. Luther, of Bilk, Germany. It has received the name of 

 Leucothea. 



The thirty-sixth asteroid was discovered by M. Golclschmidt, of Paris, on 

 the 4th of October. It has received the name of Atalanta. 



The thirty-seventh asteroid was discovered by M. Luther, of Bilk, on the 

 5th of October, and has received the name of Fides. 



COMETS OF 1855. 



The first comet of 1855 was discovered by M. Dieu, of the Paris Observa- 

 tory. 



The second was seen by Dr. Schweitzer, of Moscow, on the llth of April. 



The third, comet was discovered at Florence, June 3d, by Dr. Donati. It 

 was also seen the next day at Gottingen and at Paris. Dr. Donati was unable 

 to detect any nucleus or tail, and estimated it as fainter than the nebulae in 

 Hercules. 



Meteoric Appearances of 1855. The periodical visitation of meteors occurred 

 during the past year much as usual. The observations at New Haven, on 

 the night of August 9th, as recorded by Mr. E. C. Herrick, were 385 ; August 

 10th, 290; llth, 95; 12th, 36. About four fifths of those observed were 

 conformable to the usual apparent radiant, or point of divergence, near the 

 cluster in the sword-handle of Perseus. 



