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Astronomy. 293 
2. A new Planet.—On the 8th of December, 1845, M. Hencxe, of 
Driesen, found a star of the ninth magnitude in Taurus, where before 
there was none. At 8 o’clock, its place was A. R. 65° 25’, Dec. 12° 
41’N. On the 14th, it was observed by M. mesg at Berlin, at 13h. 
57m., m. t., A.R. 64° 0/ 23-6, Dec. 12° 39’ 5 
On the 24th, it was observed at London, 7 a Hind, at Oh. 20m., 
sid. time, A.R. 4h. 8m. 17°56s., Dec. 12° 45/ 326. 
On the 30th of December, at 4h. 39m. Greenwich sid. time, it was 
found in A.R. 4h. 4m. 32s. Dec. 12° 55’ 26” 
This star is believed to be a new planet, near its opposition. Its mo- 
tion was retrograde, and at the rate of about a quarter of a degree per 
day, through the month of December. It appears faint in a good 30 
inch telescope. The discoverer left the determination of the name to 
M. Encke, who calls it Astrea. 
The following approximate elements were furnished by Professor 
Schumacher. 
Mean longitude, 1840, Jan. 0, 89° 32’ 12"-1 
Longitude of perihelion, 214° 53’ 7-0 
Longitude of ascending node, 119° 44’ 375 
Inclination of orbit, TE42':. 8/4 
Eccentricity, 0207993 
Semi-axis major, 2°63 
Mean daily motion in longitude, 827-65 
Periodic time, 1565 days. 
According to these elements, the new planet approaches very near 
the orbit of Juno, and its eccentricity is nearly the same. 
3. Biela’s Comet.—This remarkable body has again made its appear- 
ance, and has been observed at various places in this country. It was 
seen at Cambridge, England, with the Northumberland Equatorial, 
December Ist, 1845. It passed its perihelion on the 11th of February, 
and will be nearest to the earth about the middle of March, when it 
may possibly be seen by the naked eye. This comet was observed in 
1772, 1805, 1826, and 1832. During its present return, it has exhib- 
ited a very remarkable appearance. When first observed through the 
five inch refractor at Yale College, Dec. 29, 1845, the comet was seen 
attended by a faint nebulous spot preceding, estimated to be rather more 
than a minute of space distant from its brightest point. The few sub- 
sequent observations which the clouds and the moonlight permitted here 
before the middle of January, showed this secondary comet to be bright- 
ening faster than the principal, and slowly departing from it. This 
surprising phenomenon was first publicly announced in this country, 
by Lieut. Maury, of the Washington Observatory. On the 22d of 
January, according to Mr. 8. C. Walker, the two portions were about 
