218 



EEMARKS ON THE SMALL PLANETS. 



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

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

 say, 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 Verrier 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. 

 Magdler, and the last numbers of the Astronomische Nachrichteji. 



Synoptical fable of the elements of the small ^^lanets. 



Names. 



Authors of the 

 discovery. 



Date of" the 

 discovery. 



Ceres 



Pallas 



Juno .. . . . 



Vesta 



Astraja . . . . 



Hebe 



Iris... 



Flora 



Metis 



Hygeia . . . . 



Parlhenope 

 Victoria ... 

 Egeria 



Irene 



Eunomia .. 



Psyche . . . . 



Thetis 



Melpomene 

 Fortuna ... 



Massilia. . . . 



Lutetia . . . . 

 Calliope .. . 



Thalia 



Themis 



Phocaea, .. . 



Piazzi..., 

 Olbers ... 

 I Harding . . 

 Olbers ... 

 Hencfce . . 



Hencke.. , 



Hind 



Hind 



Graham . 

 Gasparis. , 



Gaspari.-;. , 



Hind 



Gasparis. . 



Hind 



Gasparis. . 

 Gasparis . 



Gasparis, .. 

 Luther .... 



Hind 



Hind 



Gasparis .. 

 Chacornac 



Goldsclimidt . 



Hind 



Hind 



Gasparis . . . . 

 Chacornac .. 



Jan. 1,1301 

 Mar. 28, 1802 

 Si'pt. 1,1804 

 Mar. 29, 1807 

 Dec. 8,1845 



July 1,1847 

 Aug. 13, 1817 

 Oct. 18, !8!7 

 April 05, 1848 

 April 12, 1849 



May 11,1850 

 Sept. 13. 1850 

 Nov. 2^1850 

 May 19, 1851 

 May 2.3,1851 

 July 29,1851 



Mar. 17,18.52 

 April 17, 18.52 

 June24, 1H52 

 Aug.22,18.v2 

 Sept. 19, 18.52 

 Sept. 20, 1852 



Nov. 15, 1852 

 Nov. 16, 1852 

 Dec. 15, 18.52 

 April 5,1853 

 April 6,1853 



2,766 

 2,770 

 2,6159 

 2,360 

 2,576 



2,425 

 2,386 

 2,201 

 2,386 

 3,149 



2,452 

 2, 3.34 

 2,575 



|-2,589 



2,643 



2,9iJ6 



2,474 

 2,296 

 2,441 



1 2, 409 



2,435 

 2,909 

 2,625 

 3,142 



2,402 



149 27 



122 10 

 54 5 



2.50 21 

 134 44 



15 13 

 41 29 

 33 4 

 71 10 

 227 55 



316 U 



301 47 

 119 32 



179 39 



27 52 



12 35 



259 26 



15 19 



30 24 



98 36 



327 8 

 .58 13 



123 16 

 139 9 



302 55 



