, 1879-05-26
1NTRA.MERCuRIAL PLANETS I


In tho lnnd.
1NTRA.lERGuR1AL PIANETsl
Recent numbers Of the dstronoaischo
NdeArtcAten contain IN exhaustive discus
sion by Prof. G. II. F. PETERS, Of the intra-
morcurial planot question. Flo takes up the
pub1ishod roports Of WATSON mud Sw1r1, tho
alleged discovorors Of one or moro OF these
bodies ~ during tho solar eclipse Of last
July, and iocidoa that tho observations not
only do not warrant tho claim, but that thoso
Of WArsoN fatty t1isprovo It.
It will bo remembered that the two objects
seen by WATSON. woro located by him as be-
ing about threo-quartors OF dogroo east
from Theta and Zeta Cancri, respectively.
Tho locating was dono, not by roforenco to
tho stass, but by marking on paper circles
tho placea Of two pointers attached to tho tol.
escope, antl then taking tho place Of tho sun
In tho Bamo way. Tho differences OF rea1-
ings wore taken rs tho angular distances
from tho place Of the sun. Tho papor cir
olea were only about five inohos in diameter,
md PgrEns shows how m orror Of only ono-
thirtioth part Of mn inch in tho
hurrlod marking would nmount to tho
throo-quartozs Of 9 degree above noted.
IIe theu rofers to tho fact that
tho error would be very near1y tho aan,o for
both objects, md that WA1soN's estimate Of
tho relative brightness OF tho two Objects
Corresponds to tho relative brightness Of tho
two fixed stars noted, as given In tho cata-
loguea. From these and other considora-
tions rETEna concludes that tho two objects
seen by WATSON wero none other than tho
stars Thesa and Zeta, In tho constellation
Cancer, and not intra-mercnrial planots at
all. PETEns holds that s'in Mr. 8wHr's Buc-
cogsivo publications. is porceivablo 80 singu-
lar graduation in tho statements that Prof.
WATsox's communications alouo can bo tho
subject Of a scientific discussion"
Prof. PrrEnB is we'll known aa tho one
zival Of Prof. WATSON in tue discovery Of
minor planets. Tho two men hnve been for
several yeara past running neck-and-neck
raco, with MI others fur behind thom.' It Is
not, therefore, surprising to SOC the work Of
tho ono closely sorutiuizod and criticised by
tho other. But tho discussion Is all tho
AOk0 FAtLAA4V NA k4A$ A[lNA4t. L L4EEtb ~.
Of nll othor mon, the most competent 10
critioiso WATSON in this peculiar fold OF
research and tho world-that Is, tho partic~
ular part Of tho world which carca anything
about it's much more deeply Interested in
knowing tho ya1uo of the claim to hayo dis
covered planets within the orbits of Mercury
than In ascortaining which Of any two mon
Inns tho best Of IN argument,
A strong point in favor Of WATsox's claim
is fonnd in his letter Of Sept. TO tho
A,neriean Journal Of Scie,na and Arts. He
thoro says Of ths objook nearest tho sun:
I" I saw both 1t and Theta Oancri, and It was
fully magnitude. brighter than tho latter"
PErEns soans to have ignored this Alto
gother, MS we'll as Sw1rTs observation, whicl,
was reported in Douvcr tho evoning after the
eclipse, md in The TRIBUNE OF tho next
morning, July 90. Nevertheless the great
majority Of .thoso who take an ill.,
forest IN tho matter will hold that
the onus pro6andi at present rosts
with WATSON and those who bolievo that ho
did ECO one or moro intra-mercurial planets.
Siuco tic eclipse tho sky in tho neighbor-
nooa u 1uo SUI Aas poon 1atuer closesy
scanned from tho Dearborn and other OBJ
sorVasoraca, without SUCCESS, so fur as heard
from. WATSON has rocently had undor cou-
sldoration plan for an instrument which
can bo used Tor this Investigation, aud 1t will
possibly bon feature In hia work ut tho now
observatory at Madison, Wis. Meanwhile
tho objections Of Prof. PETEns havo great
nfr1,k 1>nn
Of argument in relation 10 alleged trRusits OF
thcgo bodies oyer Tho ennis d,Rc prrpnu
showa t,,ot NH n fo.v of lin o1,.or,,ot,,,,c ~
.,,oao .,n,,,aa .r.aa;.a ~ 49, ~ s. - ".s'n,.n ~
A, so 1a". e >Ant4"t'o ., ",o - ~ eo'ont''te
s"''o "na'oSoFi tna1 P'anot iarBe enough
TO CAUSE tho morCurtA1 perturhAtiQpa should