ISO 



Hijlory of /IJlronomy for 1804.' 



[Sept. 1, 



when I was informed tbat M. von Zach 

 had commenced a coMiie of obfervaticns 

 with capital inftruments." 



After the receipt of this letter from M. 

 Harding, I learned that M. Gaufs, an 

 ableaftronomerof Bruniwick, had aheady 

 thrice calculated the elenients of the orbit 

 of this planet. I fliall prcfantly" give a 

 flatement of the laft. On the other hand, 

 M. Burckhardt at Paris communicated to 



us elements-, wliich on the 2 5,d of No- 

 vember Wi-re fo pel fe£f, that they differed 

 but little from thole of M. Gaufs. M. 

 B'uckhardt ccr, inued to correft them till 

 liie 24rh of Dec ember. 



The following are the obfcrvafions 

 made by M. Burckhardt at the Military 

 School, and which he made uie of to cal- 

 culate ihs orbit : 



M. Meflier and M. Bouvard at Paris, 

 and M. Vidal at Mirep-ix, continiitd to 

 obferve it ; and M. Burckhaidt calculat- 

 ed an ephemeris, to enable aftronomers 

 to difcover it again, which, after a few 

 days of unfavourable weather, would be 

 rather difficult on account of its diminu- 

 tive fize. 



It has already been in agitation to give 

 an ancient name to the new planet : it 

 was prcpofed to call it Juno. For my 

 part 1 (hall never call the planets recently 

 difcovered by any cth^r mmes than Hcrf- 

 chel, Piazzi, Olbers, and Harding. I 

 fliewed, in the '♦ Journal des Savans" for 

 1789, that mytholoeical names are per- 

 feCHy unmeaning. If we call the planets 

 of the ancients by the names by which 

 they were known to them, this is necef. 

 fary for the purpofe of underftanding 



them, and the names indicate the attributes 

 of the deity whofe name was given to the 

 planet. The mofl brilliant planet was 

 called Venus, becaufe fhe was the mod 

 beautiful of tbegoddefles. Can it be fiid 

 that ii.e planet 01be;s was called Pallas 

 becau:e that planet is the emblem of wif- 

 biem of wifdom and knowledge ? Why 

 fhould that of Piazzi be called Ceres ? — 

 Has it any conneifion with the hirveft ? — 

 With relpefl to the new planets, there- 

 fore, thefe names are inflgniiicant and mif- 

 placed. They appear to me to have been 

 lierived from ancient fable only tn deprive 

 aftrononiers of the recompence of their la- 

 bours, of the gratitude which is due to 

 them, and of the emulation which may 

 thenre refult. It is, in my opinion, a 

 contemptible jealoufy and cffenfive in- 

 giatimde, as I have aheady faid in the 

 a *' Journal 



