680 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



which is equal to 30,058. This being deducted from the velocity 

 of Mercury, leaves 80,682 for the velocity of Venus. Again, 1,582 

 is multiplied by 8, and the product, 12,656, is deducted from 

 80,682, leaving 68,026 for the velocity of the earth. Proceeding 

 in this manner, I show that 1,582 comes very near being a com- 

 mon divisor of all the differences of the orbital velocities ; so 

 near, indeed, as to force upon us the belief that the rings, from which 

 the planets were formed, must have originally had a common dif- 

 ference of their orbital velocities of very nearly 1,582. 



In a parallel column I have placed the actual velocities, taken 

 from Dr. Lardner's hand book of Astronomy, to show how closely 

 they agree with those derived from theory. 



TABLE 2. 



Relative orbital velocities. 



Theoretical Actual 



velocities. velocities. 



Miles per hour. Miles per hour. 



l._Velocity of Mercury _ 110,740 110,725 



Subtract 1,582x19= 30,058 



2._Velocity of Venus 80,682 81,000 



Subtract 1,582x8= 12,656 



a._Velocity of Earth 68,026 68,090 



Subtract 1,582x8= 12,656 



^.—Velocity of Mars ' 55,370 55,812 



Subtract 1,582X16= 25,312 



5._Velocity of Jupiter 30,058 30,203 



Subtract 1,582x5= 7,910 



6._Velocity of Saturn 22,148 22,306 



Subtract 1,582x4= _.. 6,328 



7,_Velocity of Uranus 15,820 15,730 



Subtract 1,582x2= 3,164 



8. —Velocity of Neptune 12,656 12,570 



