218 



EEMARKS ON THE SMALL PLANETS. 



masses of those with which Ave are acquainted would, at the most, 

 form the ten-thousandth part of the mass of our globe ; that is to 

 sa}', about the two-thousandth part of the total mass of the cosmic 

 ring comprised between Mars and Jupiter. The number of the un- 

 known asteroids would then be at least two thousand times more con- 

 siderable than the number of those already discovered. It is in this 

 sense that M. Le Verrier says that these small bodies are indefinite 

 in number, and it is on this account especially that he is opposed to 

 the designation of each of them by a particular name, since it will 

 be necessary some day to stop doing so. But to this M. Hind and 

 almost all other astronomers answer that the number of the asteroids 

 which our instruments will enable us to perceive is probably suf- 

 ficiently restricted, and that there would be great inconvenience in 

 substituting simple ordinal numbers for the present nomenclature, on 

 account of the inevitable confusion which would result therefrom. 

 We are ourselves of this opinion, and we may perhaps be permitted 

 to add, as corroborative of the good reasons already given, that if 

 the proposal of M. Le Yerrier were adopted, all investigations of the 

 nature of that which we now publish, after the example of what has 

 been often done in Germany, would by that means become almost im- 

 possible. 



We terminate this paper with the table of the elements of the 

 small planets, prepared from the last edition of the Astronomy of M. 

 Msedler, and the last numbers of the Astronomische NachricMen. 



Synoptical table of the elements of the sraall planeti^. 



Authors of the 

 discovery. 



Daw of the 

 discovery. 



rt o 



3 t^ 



Ceres , 



Pallas 



Juno 



Vesta 



Astra'a , .., 



Hebe 



[ris 



Flora 



Metis 



Hygeia . .. . 



Parlheiiope 

 Victoria ... 

 Egeria 



[rene 



Eunomia .. 



Psyche .. . . 



Thelis 



Melpomene 

 Fonuna ... 



Massilia.... 



fjUtetia 



Calliope ... 



Thalia 



Themis 



Phocaea. .. , 



Piazzi 



Olbers 



Harding . ... 



Olbers 



Hencke . ... 



Hencke., .- . 



Hind 



Hind 



Graham . .. 

 Gasparis 



Gasparis. ... 



Hind 



Gasparis. .. 



Hind 



Gasparis. ... 

 Gasparis . . . 



Gasparis. ... 



Lutiier 



Hind 



Hhid 



Gasparis ... 

 Chacornac . 



Goldschmidt 



Hind 



Hind 



Gasparis . . . 

 Chacornac , 



Jan. l,lSOi 

 Mar. 28, 1802 

 Si.'pt. 1,1804 

 Mar. 29, 1807 

 Dec. 8,1845 



July i,1847 

 Aug. 13, 18-17 

 Oct. 18,1817 

 April -25, JS-18 

 April 12, 1849 



May 11,1850 

 Sept. 13, 18.50 

 Nov. y, ItSO 

 May 19,1851 

 May 23,1851 

 July ay, 1651 



Mar. 17,1852 

 April 17, 1852 

 June 94, 18.52 

 Aug. 22, 18.52 

 Sept. 19, 1852 

 Sept. 20, 1852 



Nov. 15,1852 

 Nov. 16, 1852 

 Dec. 15,1852 

 April 5,1853 

 April 6,1853 



2,766 

 2,770 

 2,609 

 2.360 

 2,576 



2,425 

 2,386 

 2,201 

 2, 386 

 3,149 



2,452 

 2,334 

 .,5/5 



^2,589 



2,643 



2,9i6 



2,474 

 2.296 

 2,441 



1 2, 409 



2,435 

 2,909 

 2,625 

 3,142 



2,402 



Day. 

 1680,26 

 1683,86 

 1.593,21 

 1324, 84 

 15 10, .55 



1579,63 

 1346,46 

 1192,99 

 1.346,21 

 2041,40 



1402,91 

 1302,71 

 1509,72 



1522,01 



1569,37 



1828,41 

 1421,07 

 1270.61 

 1.393,29 



1365,96 



138?, 21 

 1812,28 

 1553,39 

 2U34,22 

 1259.99 



0,080 

 2.39 

 255 

 090 

 190. 



0,301 

 231 

 156 

 123 

 100 



0,099 

 219 



088 



165 



188 



0, 1.35 

 126 



217 

 158 



143 



0,162 

 103 

 235 

 117 

 253 



10 36 

 34 42 



13 3 



7 8 

 5 19 



14 46 

 5 27 

 5 53 

 5 36 



3 47 



4 37 



8 S3 

 16 32 



9 7 



11 44 



3 4 



5 35 

 10 9 



1 32 



41 



13 41 



10 14 



48 



21 35 



80-50 

 172 40 

 171 1 

 103 26 

 141 3.T 



138 36 

 2.59 47 

 110 28 

 68 33 

 287 45 



125 5 



235 42 



43 20 



86 42 



294 1 



150 37 

 !25 3U 

 1,50 6 

 211 32 



206 43 



80 33 

 66 43 

 68 1 

 35 11 

 214 5 



149 27 

 122 10 

 54 5 

 250 21 

 134 44 ' 



15 13 j 

 41 29 

 33 4 I 

 71 10^ 

 227 5.5 ! 



316 11 



301 47 ' 

 119 32 



179 29 



27 52 



12 35 



259 26 



15 19 



30 24 



93 36 



^7 8 

 58 13 

 J23 16 

 139 9 



302 55 



