74 HISTORY OF ASTRONOMY. 



i 



reason he was led to examine the neighboring stars with 

 unusual care. Professor Secchi, having been invited by 

 Professor de Gasparis to select a name for this planet, 

 proposed the name of Themis, the same which Professor 

 de Gasparis had originally proposed for Massilia. The 

 mean distance of Themis from the sun is greater than 

 that of any other known asteroid, excepting Hygeia 

 and Euphrosyne, corresponding to a period of 2037 

 days. 



On the night after the preceding discovery, April 6th, 

 M. Chacornac, at Marseilles, discovered another small 

 planet. It appeared of a bluish tint, and of the size of 

 a star of the ninth magnitude. M. Valz proposed to call 

 this planet Phocaea, Marseilles having been founded by a 

 colony from Phocaea. 



On the 5th of May, 1853, Mr. E. Luther, director of 

 the observatory at Bilk, near Diisseldorf, discovered a 

 new planet like a star of the eleventh magnitude. This 

 planet was christened by the celebrated Baron von Hum- 

 boldt, who selected for it the name of Proserpina, with 

 the symbol of a pomegranate and a star in its center. 



On the 8th of November, 1853, Mr. Hind discovered 

 another planet within the limits of his ecliptical chart for 

 the third hour of right ascension. It was as bright as 

 stars of the ninth magnitude, and its light appeared re- 

 markably blue. This planet has received the name of 

 Euterpe. 



On the 1st of March, 1854, Mr. E. Luther, director 

 of the observatory at Bilk, near Diisseldorf, discovered 



