Asti^onomy. 2S9 



IV, ASTRONOMY. 



1. New Planets. — Tlie 43d [Ariadne) of the system of little planets 

 between Mars and Jupiter, was discovered April 15, 1857, by Mr. Pocrson 

 at the Radchffe Observatory, Oxford, Eng. Its apparent briglitness'was 

 about that of a star of the ninth magnitude. The following elements 

 have been computed by Mr. Pape from observations at Oxford, April 15 ; 

 Altona and Liverpool, April 19 ; and Bilk, April 22 : 



Epoch, 1857, April 22-5, Berlin ni. t. 



Mean anomaly, . * • 309^ 16' 23''-9 



Long, of perihelion, - . . 276 34 59 •! 



" " asc. node, - - - 264 1858'0 



Inclination, - - - - 32741 '9 



Angle of excentricity, - - 9 46 22 "6 



Log, semi-axis major, - - - 0'343405 



" mean daily motion, - - - 3'034899 



The 44th of this group was discovered May 27, 1857, by Mr. H. Gold- 

 schmidt, at Paris. Its brightness was that of a star of 10-1 1th magni- 

 tude. — Astr. Jour.^ May 30. 



Another new planet was discovered June 27, 1857, bj Mr. Goldschmidt 

 at Paris. 



2. Second Comet of 1857. — A comet was discovered, March 18, 1857, 

 by Prof. C. Bruhns, of Berlin. It appeared as a small round nebula of 

 2' diameter, with condensed nucleus, and without tail. Prof. B.'s computa- 

 tion seems to render it certain that this comet is identical with the third 

 comet of 1846.— ^l^^r. Jour. 



3. Third Comet of 185*1 . — A telescopic comet of moderate brilliancy 

 ^as discovered by Dr. Klinkerfues, at Gottingen, June 22, 1857,— ^*<r, 

 JouK JVo. 104. 



4. I^ew Comet. — A faint comet was discovered July 25, 1857, in the 

 constellation Camelopardalus, by Dr. C. H. F. Peters, of the Dudley Ob- 

 servatoiy, Albany. The elements show that this comet is not identical 

 ^'ith any of those expected to return this year. 



5. Zodiacal Light — In a recent paper read to the Royal Society by 

 I^rofessor Piazzi Smyth of Scotland, ihQ author, after opposing the views 

 ^^ Rev. George Jones as published in his Japan Expedition Report, closes 

 V saying, that he does not think Mr. Jones ever saw the zodiacal light at 

 ^li- Surely this is a summary way of dealing with an author, and be- 

 trays no less arrogance than ignorance. We have compared observations 

 at this place with those of Mr. Jones and know well his ability and fidel- 

 ity in the investigation he has undertaken. It is true there is much to 

 puzzle the theorist in the present state of the subject, but Prof. Smyth's 

 ^ay of sw^eeping the whole from science is a novel method of meetin-^ 

 tbe question. 



<r 



e question. 



SECOND SEEIES, VOL. XXIV, !^0. 



37 



71, — SEPT. 





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