Manchester Memoirs y Vol. Iv. (19 lo), No. 1. 5 



attractions, ultimately coalesce to form a single planet, as 

 postulated in my paper in connexion with the contraction 

 of the radius vector of Neptune.* 



As the orbits of all the planets are nearly in the plane 

 of the ecliptic, and also of comparatively small eccentricity, 

 it would become necessary to further assume that all the 

 rings of discrete bodies should revolve in the same plane 

 of the ecliptic, and in orbits nearly circular as do the other 

 planetary bodies ; but Olbers found that Pallas had the 

 large orbital inclination of 34°7, and many others are 

 inclined from 26 to 15 degrees. 



The eccentricities of some of the planetoids are also 

 very large, that of yEthra being 0380, Juno 0'257, and 

 Pallas 0"238. The periodic times vary between 7"86 years 

 (Hilda) and 175 years (Eros) with the correlated large 

 differences in their mean distances from the sun; Hilda 

 being 3'95 astronomical units, and Eros only v\6 units 

 which thereby intersects the orbit of Mars, 1*52 units. 



The large differences observable in the elements of 

 the planetoids, clearly indicate them as fragments of a 

 large planet, in accordance with the conclusions arrived 

 at by Olbers in 1802. The illustrious astronomer further 

 assumed that the orbits of all the fragments would inter- 

 sect each other at the point where the explosion occurred. 

 Subsequent observations have, however, shown (which I 

 shall confirm further on) that this supposition, while 

 applicable in many instances, does not hold good as a 

 generalization. 



It will now be evident, without further discussion, 

 that had the exploded major planet been a solid body 

 throughout as hard as steel, it would still be revolving in 



* Afanchester Memoirs, vol. 54, 1910. 

 Phil. Mag., (6) vol. 19, 1910, p. 604. 



