Observations of the planet Saturn with the twenty-foot Equatoreal at Valletta

✍ Scribed by W. Lassell

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1855
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 595 KB
• Volume: 39
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-6337
• DOI: 10.1002/asna.18550391002

✦ Synopsis

Observations of the planet Saturn with the twcuty-foot Equatoren1 at Valletta.

(Die Zeichnungen werden nachgeliefert).

1852 Oct. 5, Power 330. The planet instantly struck me b y its beauty and sharpiiess, though still far from the meridian.

After some conteniplation I felt persuaded that I never s a w the planet s o well. The exterior bright ring (A) presented evidently a s t r i 11 e d appearance, most strongly in the middle, yet not concentrated iuto a n y single indisputable line. The inferiority of brightness of' A, airiounted to contrast with the inner bright ririg B. The obscure ring C, far better seen than I have ever seen it before, extending precisely half way from the inner edge of B to the plaiiet's IiniIi; of' urtiforni brightness and without iiny trace of a division. The exterior boundary of C was very hard, u p to the inner edge of B, but I could riot assert tliiit there w a s any division there.

The shape of the shatlow of the hall upon the ring i s a ng u l a r , a s Oct. 5 drawn, and there is a spot upon the southfolloming portion o f the ring 80 close to the ball, a s to b e almost iiiidistiiiguishable whether it was on the ball or ring.