52 The Planet Saturn. 



globe; spot more extended. These observations were con- 

 firmed by others. Petersen at Altona found B. always con- 

 siderably the brighter. April 22, 25, 26, a distinct bright 

 point B. ; another, not symmetrical, suspected W. At re- 

 appearing, June 16, Bianchi saw bright points in ansae. 19, a 

 point. 22, 24, several, E. Santini, 18, E. like a string of 

 pearls, dissimilar to W. Madler also saw a brighter point B. 

 than W., and W. took the lead in the apparent shortening of 

 the ansae. 



During the decrease of the ring in 1846, from Nov. 21, 

 Schwab e found W. always rather fainter and less sharply 

 defined than E. — 1847, July 11 to Aug. 15, W. somewhat the 

 more distinct, bright, and long, and its "lunule " more obvious, 

 though not larger : from middle of Sept. both ansae equal in 

 all respects. At the ensuing edge-presentation in 1848, a 

 greater degree of systematic attention was paid to these ap- 

 pearances, and the experience of Schwabe, the keen eye of 

 Schmidt with the 8-feet Bonn heliometer, the unsurpassed 

 vision of Dawes, and the extraordinary power of the achromatic 

 at Harvard College, U.S., were all put in requisition. June 26, 

 the dark side being turned towards us, the ring was visible in its 

 whole length, but not continuous W. :* Bond II. Traces rather 

 plainer E. as a multitude of the finest points : Schm. — June 

 30, 2 faint dots, E. the plainer, about the extremity of ring B : 

 Dawes. — July 3, W. more distinct than E. : Bond I. — 10, an 

 interruption and two bright points on each side : Bond II. — 

 11, three detached bright portions W., two E. : Bond I. Con- 

 tinuous, but brightest in four places, like satellites strung on 

 the ring, only fixed: B. II. — 14, 16, 17, breaks visible, B. II. 

 — 15, as before, Dawes. — 18, composed of fragments, but more 

 continuous, and broadest near ball W. : B. I. — 21, 4 fixed 

 points : B. II. — Aug. 29, W. the more easily seen ; 2 spots 

 on it ; one only on E. : B. II. — 30, W. best, with a spot : B. 

 II. : — 31, unequally illuminated : B. I. II. — Sept. 3, sun passed 

 to S. side : ring perhaps beaded : B. I. II. ; probably not 

 equable, yet not dotted as June 26 : Schm. — -4, perhaps not 

 quite equable, but prominences and interruptions not per- 

 ceptible; thinnest next ball : B. II. W. somewhat the plainer ; 

 E. interrupted : Schw. "W. seen without any difficulty inter- 

 rupted in 2 places ; E. less certainly so : Schm. [personal or 

 instrumental equation must come in here]. E. decidedly 

 longer than "W. : Dawes. — 5, ring a sharp line, thinning off from 

 W. to E. end ; W. most obvious, and joining globe ; E. inter- 

 rupted and not joining : 2 bright longish thickenings on W., 

 one sharp point on E., all fixed : Schw. and Habicht. W. in 



* P. in original, as in many other places. 



