ASTRONOMY AND METEOROLOGY. 



NEW PLANETS DISCOVERED IN 1856. 



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

 increased during the past year, by the discovery of five new asteroids. The 

 whole number of the asteroids at present date is forty-two. 



The thirty-eighth asteroid, appearing as a star of the tenth magnitude, 

 was discovered by M. Chacornac, at Paris, on the 12th of January. It 

 has received the name of Leda. 



In announcing this discovery to the French Academy, M. Leverrier 

 remarked that he was now convinced that a large number of small planets 

 exist between Mars and Jupiter, and that before 1860, probably as many as 

 a hundred will have been detected. 



On the 8th of February, M. Chacornac also discovered the 39th asteroid, 

 which appears as a star of the 9th magnitude, and has been called Lcetitia. 



On the 31st of March, M. Gloldschmidt at Paris, discovered the 40th 

 asteroid, Harmonia. It appears as a star of the 9-10th magnitude. 



On the 22d of May. M. Goldschmidt discovered the 41st asteroid, Daphne, 

 appearing as a star of the ll-12th magnitude. 



On the 23d of May, the 42d asteroid, Isis, was discovered by Mr. Poyson, 

 of the Radcliffe observatory, Oxford, England. It was then rather brighter 

 than a star of the 10th magnitude. 



ON THE ORIGINAL ASTEROID PLANET. 



In a paper read to the American Association, Albany, Professor Alexander 

 succinctly re-stated the principal features of his hypothesis advanced last 

 year, viz. that there was originally but one planet between Mars and Jupiter, 

 and that this, instead of the ordinary form, approximating closely to a sphere, 

 had the shape much like that of a very thin wafer, the equatorial diameter 

 being enormous in comparison with the polar. In one determination of the 

 equatorial diameter he made use of the mass of the planet derived from a 

 new relation of masses and distances, which itself seemed to be a consequence 

 of the nebular hypothesis. Four other determinations were, however, given 

 in that connexion; but that which included the most extensive relations 

 was also the most consistent with other and independent results. 



The other method of obtaining the equatorial diameter consisted, as before, 

 in determining and applying the difference of the velocities of those asteroids 



