Opposition of Geres. 



455 



disc, though very diminutive, and, as it seems, less sharply de- 

 fined than that of the other planets, there can be no doubt of 

 its visibility. This, as well as its reddish tinge, was established 

 soon after its first discovery by the concurrent testimony of 1^ 

 and Schroter, and it maybe perceived with smaller instruments. 

 Smyth tells us that with the 5"9-inch aperture of his achromatic 

 he could easily " raise " it, that is, draw it out by increase of 

 magnifying, from the point-like appearance which, with a low 

 power, would resemble that of a star. The nebulous envelope 

 may be more questionable. i§- may be said to incline to its 

 existence rather than to assert it with confidence. Thus, 1802, 

 February 7, using a 10-ft. Newtonian reflector, aperture 8'9 

 inches, and power 5161, he finds "an ill-defined planetary 

 disc, hardly to be distinguished from the surrounding haziness/' 



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April 23, when he viewed it for nearly an hour, "there was a 

 haziness about it resembling a faint coma, which was, however, 

 easily to be distinguished from the body." April 22, " I see 

 the disc of Ceres better defined and smaller than I did last 

 night. There does not seem to be any coma.'" 4-pril 28, 

 " Ceres is*surrounded with a strong haziness; . . . the breadth 

 of the coma beyond the disc may amount to the extent of a 

 diameter of the disc, which is not very sharply defined. . 

 The coma is very dense near the nucleus, but loses itself pretty 

 abruptly on the outside, though a gradual diminution is still 

 very perceptible." April 30, • " Ceres has a visible but very 

 small coma about it. This canuot be seen with low powers, as 

 the whole of it together is not large enough, unless much mag- 



