. 
Astronomy. — 441 
V. Astronomy. 
1. The new Planet Neptune.—The planet discovered by Galle, Sept. 
, 1846, in consequence Ay the indications furnished by LeVerrier, 
is by the Russian and Ger Poe a le ap Neptune, in 
accordance with the first decor of the au des Longitudes, and 
of LeVerrier himself. It seems probable that! this name will be gener- 
ally adopted. 
nac a ghiatiitett oi published in The Union, Febr. 9, 1847, Lieut. 
Maury, Superintendent of the National Observatory, announces that 8. 
C. Walker, Esq., had discussed the observations thus far made on the 
new planet, on the assumption of a circular orbit. With the approx- 
imate elements thus obtained, La Lande’s Histoire Celeste so cebaar 
ed, in the hope of detecting former 2h of the plan As 
of the 7-8th Td anes observed May 10, 1795, (p. 158, Sth thai a 
to be contained in Bowwel’s zones. On the 2d of February, 1847, Mr. 
Walker notified Lieut. eine by letter, a ts expeciion that the 
star would not now be wo days , Professor J. S. Hub- 
bard examined the foabn’ in question, and ‘found that this star was ac- 
tually Missing. Mr. Walker then commpated the elements of the planet, 
assuming for the occasion, that it is identical with the missing star. 
The elements thus obtained, as well as his previous results, will be 
below 
On the 16th Bag! 1847, Prof. Peirce, of Harvard Survey? 
communicated to the ‘Avveticdi Academy of Arts and Sciences, a 
More extended anites of Mr. Walker’s within yen etary od with his 
own highly suai are deductions. ‘This communication has recently 
been printed, and occupies twelve Ra in the Proceedings of the 
Academy. We seaeet that we cannot “introduce the paper entire, but 
our limited space permits us to give here only the following observa- 
tions 0 f Prof. Peirce. 
Walker snap by remarking that he has stated all the cir- 
Stites known to him favorable or unfavorable to the supposi- 
tion of identity of the star and planet. The decision of the question 
mus 
mining these cig u if the identity should be confirmed, he had com- 
puted his Elements III. upon this hypothesis of identity. The three 
sets of elements are here given, referred to the mean equinox of Jan- 
wary Ist, 1847, and to mean time Greenwich. 
at 
Ele if the. 
: jaca ere wa 
* eptune. | 
Elements of Neptune, (Circular By potent eae hoe Bl ptic eam 
Ee Sciam a MRE Nie le pal betel Ae ie ee | “7, 0° 1: O/ 955 
Longitude of res i x ako, | Pay > pare 16 131 i ign 
Inclination ion. TG) 1045? 19°88 ieaie"Ss gs 
7 epoch Jan 1847, no i unknown shed a 
pm orbit, Sept. 28, it 1 5 Wheat tenses kernal Vemectanetee 
oO unknown 
Radius veet = 29: . 30-00506 30-02596, 
Rae Ser. om, a mageT | Bires7g9 | 2164559 
a dtnee en 21"-37881 21"-32600 
4 "65357 ; . 
\Period in tropical on 1637-8250, 165"-97030 1667-38134 
Srconp Serizs, Vol. Ill, sige 9.—May, flay, 1847. 56 
