Astronomy and Photography at Rome. 383 



The following are the farther results of the observations made 

 on Yenus, and of the calculations now founded on them for the 

 year 1840 :— 



Hours. Min. Seconds. 



Rotation of Venus on its axis, ... 23 21 21.9345 

 Inclination of the plane of the Equator ^ 



of Venus to the plane of the Orbit of > 56° 24' 24" 



Venus, j 



Inclination of the Orbit of Venus to the > o oo oo no 



Ecliptic, 5 



Longitude of the ascending node of the > „. .r, oi 



Orbit of Venus on the Ecliptic, 5 



Longitude of the Vernal Equinox of Venus, 56 31 



Latitude of ditto, South, 1 3 30 



The Vernal Equinox of Venus there- } 



fore took place in space, measured > 18 11 18 



on its Orbit, j 



Or in time before the planet in its course > f j . g h ^ 3Q min> 



crossed the ecliptic, 5 J ' 



As Venus crossed the ecliptic in her ascending node in the 

 year 1840, on June 25, 15h. 10m., the vernal equinox of Venus 

 must have taken place on June 14, 6^. 40m. of that year. 



SATURN AND HIS RING. 



The observations on Saturn, its satellites and ring, being still 

 in course of prosecution, in conjunction with those of Professor 

 Schwabe, and as they will be given at large in the memoir for 

 next year, it may suffice to state " that Saturn does not always 

 keep the centre of the ring, but makes a small periodical move- 

 ment from the centre." " That in 1840, for several nights in se- 

 quence, there was seen on the eastern point of the ring, a very 

 small lucid point adhering immovably to the edge, so that it 

 might be said to be one of the small satellites of the planet, that 

 had attached itself to the limb." 



" That there was on the superficies of the inner ring from 

 time to time seen a small obscure trace like the belts of Jupiter 

 and Saturn, but although different from that which has been con- 

 sidered as a subdivision of the ring, they both seem still to be 

 of the same nature. The new division of the ring, seen by 

 Encke, has also been visible at sundry times in Rome." 



Liverpool, September 5, 1842. 



