1032 Marvels of the Universe 
WIKOS 
BY G. F. CHAMBERS, F.R.A.S. 
THE discovery of the planet Eros by Witt, of the Urania Observatory, Berlin, on August 13th, 
1898, caused a great sensation in astronomical circles, though, perhaps, it would be more correct 
[By F. Enock. 
SEEKING A WIFE. 
The male Trap-door Spider unceremoniously breaks through the silk wall when 
he goes a-courting. 
to say that the sensation was 
due not to the mere fact of 
the discovery of the planet, 
but to the discovery of the 
wholly unforeseen orbit in 
which it moved. Minor planets 
have been so plentiful during 
recent years that all pleasure 
and romance attaching to 
them have long since ceased, 
and we must go back to 1801 
and 1845 to find a flutter at all 
reminding one of the excite- 
ment caused by Eros. It is 
just worth while to recall what 
happened in 1801, and to do 
that properly we must go 
back another twenty years to 
the discovery of Uranus, by 
William Herschel, in 1781. 
At about that period a 
German professor at Witten- 
‘berg noticed certain coinci- 
dences in the distances of the 
then known planets which 
seemed to indicate a very 
regular law of progression, 
but which left an unexplained 
blank between Mars and Jupiter 
in the series of planets revolv- 
ing round the sun. This blank 
seemed to suggest that an un- 
discovered planet existed, and 
was worth looking for; and 
a little society was formed of 
practical observers to carry 
out a systematic search. Even 
before it got into full work- 
ing order, a new planet was 
found on the first day of the new century—that is, on January Ist, 1801—by Piazzi at Palermo, 
which received the name of “ Ceres.” This was followed in 1802 by the discovery of ‘“‘ Pallas”’ ; 
in 1804 by “Juno” ; and in 1807 by “ Vesta.’’ No more unknown strangers seeming to be forth- 
coming, the search was discontinued. But it was resumed in 1830 by a German amateur named 
Hencke, at Driessen. No success, however, attended his labours until 1845, when he at last 
