J.48 Qlservatious on the sitigular Figure 



as the planet Saturn : a magnificent globe, enGompassed by 

 a stupendous double ring ; attended by seven satellites ; 

 ornamented witli equatorial belts ; compressed at the poles; 

 turning upon its axis; nniluallv eclipsing its ring and satel- 

 lites, and eclipsed by them ; tbe most distant of the rings 

 also turning upon its axis, and the same taking place with 

 tbe furthest of tbe satellites ; all tbe parts of the system of 

 Saturn occasionally reflecting ligbt to eacb other ; the rings 

 and moons illuminating the nights of the Saturnian ; the 

 globe and satellites enlightening the dark parts of the rings; 

 and the planet and rings throwing back the sun's beams 

 upon the moons, when they are deprived of them at the 

 time of their conjunctions. 



It must be confessed that a detail of circumstances like 

 these appears to leave hardlv any room for addition, and 

 yet the following observations will prove that there is a sin- 

 gularity left, which distinguishes the figure of Saturn from 

 that of all the other planets. 



It has already been mentioned on a former occasion, that 

 so far back as tbe year 1776 I perceived that the body of 

 Saturn was not exactly round ; and when I found in the 

 year 178I that it was flattened at the poles at least as much 

 as Jupiter, I was insensibly diverted from a more critical 

 attention to the rest of the figure. Prepossessed with its 

 being spheroidical, I measured the equatorial and polar 

 diameters in the year 1789, and supposed there could be no 

 other particularity to remark in the figure of the planet. 

 When I perceived a certain irregularity in other parts of the 

 body, it was generally ascribed to the interference of the 

 ring, which prevents a complete view of its whole contour; 

 and in this error I might still have remained, had not a late 

 examination of the pov\ers of my 10-feet telescope con- 

 vinced me that I ought to rely with the greatest confidence 

 upon the trutii of us representations of the most minute, 

 objects I inspected. 



The following observations, in which the singular figure 

 of Saturn is fully investigated, contain many remarks on 

 the rest of the appearances that may be seen when this 

 beautiful planet is examined with attention ; and though 

 they are not immediately necessary to my present subject, 

 I thought it right to retain them, as they show the degree 

 of distinctness and precision of the action of the telescope, 

 and the clearness of the atmosphere at the time of obser- 

 vation. 



April 12, 1805. With a new 7 -feet mirror of extraor- 

 dinary 



