M. Encke on the Netaly discovered Planet. 183 



The elements are indeed merely approximative ; but since 

 a circular orbit, previously calculated by me from other ob- 

 servations, gave very nearly the same numbers, it may at least 

 be concluded from them that the planet is much nearer than 

 M. Le Verrier had assumed. Its distance from the sun should 

 be 33 according to his elements, while according to the above 

 it will not difter much from 30 ; consequently the period of 

 revolution will also be shorter. If the orbit were actually cir- 

 cular, the period would be about 165 years. 



In another point, however, with respect to which M. Le 

 Verrier had only presumptions to go upon, he has hit the 

 truth with most remarkable accuracy. According to him, the 

 disc of the planet amounts to about 3""3, while the mean of 

 the measurements gives 2""7. 



I take this opportunity of expressing my views with regard 

 to the name which I intend to assign to the planet for the next 

 year, as I am compelled to come to some decision on account 

 of the publication of the Astronomical Jahrbiich, in which the 

 planet must be inserted as soon as its elements are more ac- 

 curately determined. To every new planet, the astrono- 

 mers who were countrymen of the discoverer at first added ap- 

 pellations, which were intended to call to mind some peculiar 

 circumstance. Thus the English called and still call Uranus 

 the Georgian phmet*, as a mark of gratitude to king Geor^je 

 the Third, whose munificence enabled Herschel to construct 

 his great reflectors; and the planet was detected, as is well 

 known, by its disc. Piazzi named his planet Ceres Ferdinan- 

 dea^ in honour of the king of Naples, the founder of the obser- 

 vatory at Palermo. In the same manner Pallas was at first 

 called Olbersiana, until Olbers himself pronounced strongly 

 against the adjective. Subsequently the epithets have been 

 disused by the German discoverers, Harding, Olbers and 

 Hencke; and according to the suggestion of Bode, the name 

 Uranus has been everywhere introduced except in England, 

 and the name Ceres is now generally used without any addition. 

 The astronomers of Paris appear also to have had respect to 

 this custom of naming the planets after the ancient divinities, 

 princi|)ally ofifie Romans ; since Le Verrier himself, in his 

 first letter to Dr. Galle, Oct. 1, in answer to the announce- 

 ment of the discovery of the planet, stales at the conclusion, 

 "the Bureau des Longitudes has pron(Junced for Neptune, 

 the sign u trident." This too appears to have been after some 

 consideration ; lor as Dr. Galle had in his letter hinted at the 

 iViiiin^ Janus, M. Le Verrier observes that " the name Janus 



* In the Nautical Almanac only. Uranus is the name now in general use 

 with British astronomers. — Ed. 



