RefleBions on the netu Vianet. 69 



ed like a ftar of the 8th or 9th magnitude, without any nebula 

 or tail : but as nothing clfe was faid of its pofition or com-fe, it 

 was not poflible to find it; and therefore, in expecRation of 

 more correal information, I paid no furtlier attention to it. 



In April I received a letter from Bode of Berlin, dated the 

 14th of that month, in which he told me that he had re- 

 ceived a letter from Piazzi, dated Palermo, January 24, 

 fiating, that on the ift of Janiiary he had difcovered a fmall 

 comet in 51° 47' right afcenfion, and 16'' 8' north declina- 

 tion. On the iith^of January, from being retrograde, it had 

 become dire6l ; on the 23d, its right afcenfion was 51-' 46', 

 and its northern declination 17"^ 8'. He hoped he fliould be 

 able to obferve it during the whole of February ; it was very 

 fmall, like a ftar of the 8th magnitude, and without any ne- 

 bulous light. Profelfor Bode added : " On reading Piazzi's 

 letter, I was much (truck with the appearance and motion of 

 this fuppofed comet; and 1 immediately wrote to him to fend 

 mc the fcquel of his obfervations. In (jae mean tune I can- 

 not help mentioning that I have found, by a well-known and 

 eafy calculation, that the two obfervations of the lii and 23d 

 of January, and the (tationary ilate of the liar on the i ah 

 of the fame month, agree excellently with the fuppofition 

 that it is not a comet, but perhaps the hitherto unknown 

 planet between Mars and Jupiler, taking its didance at from 

 a*75 to 2"8o. What do you fay of it? It is much to be 

 regretted that we have not a third obfcrvation. But, as the 

 llationary ftate agrees very well with the given places, it has 

 become to me a matter of great importance. Send me a few 

 words by the next polt relpc6ling your opinion, I may err, 

 and wifli for information; but the correfpondence is very- 

 remarkable. Do you know any more obfervations refpefting 

 this fingular comet ?" 



On reading this letter, I immcdlaiely had recourfe to my 

 old calculations of the years 1784 and 1785, and fliowed to pro- 

 felTor Palquich, whowas prefent when I received the Icltcr, that 

 my elements of the orbit of this planet, calculated fmm analogy 

 in the year 1785, and Infertcdin tlie Berlin Aftronumical Al- 

 manac for 1789, gave as its dKlance from the fun 2"82, and 

 as its period of revolution 4*74 years, or 4 years 9 months. 

 Profclfor Bode, from Piazzi's ol)fervationB, had found the di- 

 ftance 2*75, and the revolution the fame as I had deduced from 

 analogy, viz. 4 years 9 months. 1 imnicdiatcly fcnt an anfwer 

 to profellbr Bode's letter, and informed him, that mv two ele- 

 ments of the orbit of this fo long concealed planet, calcu-» 

 lated, provlfionally, fixteen years before, amidfl my analogical 

 dreams, and which I had dcpofucd in his hands in a fealetj 

 K 3 not* 



