ISS Xeiu MrUil in riatina. — Astrommif, 



NEW METAL IN PLATINA. 



I have seen with pleasure, sa\s Brugnatelli, in a letter to 

 the same, that Fourcroy and Vauquclin have found a new 

 metal in piutina. I rnusl ohscrve that I obtained separately 

 a lono- time ajro the substance which gives colour to solu- 

 tions of platina. I enlarged, by eight or ten parts of water, 

 the solution of that crude metal, and added to it a solution 

 of muriate of ammonia. The mixture at first did not be- 

 come turbid, but after some minutes, the sides and bottom 

 of the jar were covered with the red niatter in shining 

 moleculae, and similar to that of which I send you a spe- 

 cimen. 



ASTRONOMY. 



M. Harding, of Lllienthal, near Bremen, has discovered 

 a new planet, to \\liich he has given the name of Juno. 

 While comparing with the heavens the fifty thousand stars 

 observed by Messrs. Lalande, he saw one of the eiohth 

 magnitude, which appeared to him to have a motion of its 

 own. He observed it several days, and soon found that it 

 was a planet. 



On the 5th of September, its right ascension was 1° 52'. 



Its north declination 0° ll'. 



M. Burckhardt observed it on the 23d of September, at 

 359" l', and 4" 6', and thence concluded that the duration 

 of its revolution is five years and a half. 



Its inclination is '21°. 



Its excentricity is a quarter of its radius. 



Its mean distance from the sun is three times that of 

 the earth, that is to say, it is about a hundred millions of 

 leagues 5 it is consequently a little farther distant from the 

 sun than Ceres and Pallas, which are only ninety-six miU 

 'lions of Iciigues. 



' Its diameter has not vet been measured, but it appears 

 like a star of the cigiith magnitude. 



Its size appears nearly equal to that of Ceres, orof thcpla- 

 nct discovcied by V\xiz\. As astronomers daily observe it, 

 more precise elements of it maybe obtained. Juno is the 12th 

 planet discovered within a small number of years. Her- 

 schel discovered Uranus, and its six satellites ; he discovered 

 ;ilso two new satellites to Saturn; Piazzi discovered Ceres; 

 OI!)ers discovered Pallas ; and f-Tarding has discovered Juno. 



M. Piazzi, the astronomer, of Palermo, in a letter to 



M. DcUjIande, says, that he has observed in the fixed stars 



a changi- of one, two, and three seconds, according to the 



1 situation 



