Comets in the Solar Si/stem. 17 



ceive, without resorting to the doctrine of probabilities, that 

 even 137 observations will not authorize us to affirm that there 

 will be always fewer comets near to the ecliptic than at a dis- 

 tance from its plane. In the above table, it may be remarked 

 that there are six comets more between 50° and 60° than be- 

 tween 60° and 70° ; whilst the table of Bode gave a difference of 

 four, but in the contrary way. It must be left, therefore, to pos- 

 terity to decide, whether the primordial physical circumstances, 

 in virtue of which the principal planets are found assembled in 

 the neighbourhood of the elliptical plane, have exercised a diffe- 

 rent influence on the movements of the comets. 



Longitudes of the Ascending Nodes. — From 0° to 30°, the 

 number of nodes is 12 ; 30° to 60°, 12 ; 60° to 90°, 20 ; 90° to 

 120°, 8 ; 120° to 150°, 12 ; 1-50° to 180°, 13 ; 180° to 210°, 14 ; 

 210° to 240°, 11 ; 240° to 270°, 10 ; 270° to 300°, 8 ; 300° to 

 330°, 11 ; 330° to 360°, 6. 



It may perhaps be regarded as a circumstance worthy of no- 

 tice, that those two regions of the ecliptic, to which only eight as- 

 cending nodes correspond, are at exactly the distance of a demi- 

 circumference from each other ; but, at the same time, the space 

 comprised between the 338th and 360th degree is still poorer in 

 its nodes of comets ; whilst the region opposite to it does not, in 

 this respect, present any thing particular to our observation ; so 

 that probably we are not to recognize in this circumstance any 

 thing more than one of those fortuitous numerical coincidences, 

 which quite disappear so soon as a greater number of observa- 

 tions are collected. 



Longitudes of the Perihelions. — From 0° to 30°, number of 

 perihelions, 11 ; 30° to 60°, 13 ; 60° to 90°, 12; 90° to 120°, 

 20 ; 120° to 150°, 10; 150° to 180°, 8 ; 180° to 210°, 6; 210° 

 to 240°, 13 ; 240° to 270°, 18 ; 270° to 300°, 10 ; 300° to 330°, 

 10 ; 330° to 360°, 6 ; total 137. 



The future will shew whether, as this table would appear to 

 indicate, the extremities of the grand axes of the orbits of co- 

 mets exist in a much greater number towards the 90th and the 

 270th degree of the ecliptic, than at any other point ; and whe- 

 ther it is at a right angle to each of these regions that we ought, 

 on the contrary, to expect the fewest perihelions. Any conclu- 



voL. XIX. NO. xxxvii. — .Tur.v 1835. b 



