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APPENDIX.

VI.

ACCOUNT OF SOME EECENT RESULTS OF ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATION.

Two instances of a total eclipse of the sun have recently furnishedopportunities of observing the circumstances usually attending these phe-nomena. The first of these eclipses happened on the 8th of August,

1850. It was visible only in the Pacific Ocean . An account of thephenomenon as observed by M. Kutczycki at Honolulu , the chief town ofthe Sandwich Isles, appeared in the Comptes Bendas for the 21st of April,

1851. The second eclipse happened on the 28th of July, 1851. Beingvisible in the northern countries of Europe , it was observed by a greatnumber of astronomers. Two important facts were satisfactorily established by the observations of these eclipses. In the first place, the reddishprotuberances usually visible on such occasions, appeared in some instancesto be isolated from the moon’s limb. Secondly, those protuberances thatwere visible towards the point of immersion, were seen gradually to diminishas if concealed by the passage of the moon over the solar disk; while, onthe other hand, those towards the point of emersion appeared to en-large as if gradually disclosed to view by the same cause. Both thesefacts tend to support the opinion that the protuberances are solar phe-nomena. A serious difficulty attending the explanation of their physicalcause, consists in the material difference of aspect which they exhibit tospectators distant from each other by only a very short interval.

Five more planets revolving between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter ,have been discovered in addition to those referred to in the body of thiswork (see p. 240). Three of these bodies were discovered in the year1850. The first (Parthenope) was discovered by De Gasparis on the 11thof May; the second (Victoria), by Hind on the 18th of September; andthe third (Egeria), by De Gasparis on the 2nd of November. The re-maining two planets were discovered in the course of the year 1851. Thefirst of these (Irene) was discovered by Hind on the 10th of May, 1851.By a singular coincidence, De Gasparis also independently discovered thisplanet on the 23rd of the same month. The second planet (Eunomia)was discovered by De Gasparis on the 29th of July. Parthenope revolvesround the sun in 1401 days, Victoria in 1303 days, Egeria in 1496 days,Irene in 1510 days, and Eunomia in 1424 days. These numbers, ofcourse, can only be regarded as provisional. The total number of asteroidsnow discovered amounts to fifteen. It is not improbable that hundreds ofthese minute bodies may be revolving in the same region.

On the 4th of December, 1850, intelligence reached this country thaton the 15th of the previous month, Mr. Bond , Director of the Observatoryof Cambridge, U. S. , had discovered a new ring round Saturn, interior tothe bright rings already known to exist. It soon turned out that the samephenomenon had been observed in England by Mr. Dawes on the 29th ofNovember, before he received any intimation of Mr. Bond ’s discovery.The most surprising circumstance, however, connected with the phe-nomenon is, that it was actually observed as early as the year 1838, byDr. Galle of Berlin; although no further notice seems to have been takenof it till the announcement of its rediscovery as above mentioned. Thering now forms an interesting object of observation to astronomers armedwith powerful telescopes. In brightness it is very much inferior to theouter rings. Its breadth is equal to about two-fifths of the interval in-cluded between the bright rings and the body of the planet. It would