![]() The following table gives a comparison between the true distances and those which result from Bode's law, the distance of the earth being taken as unity: When Neptune was discovered, however, in 1846, it did not conform to the law at all. It seems a pity that the law, having survived so many tests, should go to pieces at last on what was perhaps the final test which remained to be applied. In either case the distance of the 'mean asteroid' might be expected to follow the law, which it was found approximately to do. Bode's law, therefore, appeared to have found confirmation here, for, though there was no single great planet, as elsewhere, nevertheless the small army of fragments seemed to point to some abortive attempt of Nature to form a world in the usual order, or else to an explosion of one already formed. It was perhaps fitting that a century which was to be signalized by the discovery of some 450 new but small worlds, where one had been sought, should be properly opened: Ceres, the first asteroid, was found on the first day of the nineteenth century. At that time the discovery of a small body, such as one of the asteroids, was no easy matter, and the honor of finding the first did not fall to one of the associates, but to Piazzi, a Sicilian astronomer, who discovered it while making a star catalogue. When, a few years later, in 1784, Uranus was discovered and was found to conform closely to the law, the impression was deepened that the missing member of the solar system must somehow be supplied or explained, and an association of astronomers was formed to hunt for it. The law gave fairly well the distances of all the planets known at that time, except that it called for a planet between Mars and Jupiter, where nothing was then known to exist. The law may be stated as follows: If to a series of 4's, beginning at the second, the numbers 3, 6, 12, 24, etc., be added, the resulting numbers divided by 10 will approximately express the distance of the planets from the sun in terms of the distance of our earth taken as unity. ![]() In 1772, Bode announced the so-called law which bears his name. Nevertheless, the history of this numerous family is sufficiently full of interest, and throws light upon the way in which we should regard them. To belong to the celestial 400 is perhaps more of misfortune than of honor, for the number of this plebeian band has already waxed so great that they have become a care which threatens in the future to balance the benefits which they bring to astronomy. In spite of this very important difference, Eros has been placed among the great band of asteroids, among whom he numbers 433. The mean distance of Eros, however, is only 135 million miles, which is less than that of Mars. The mean distance from the sun of Mars is 141 million miles, and that of Jupiter is 483 million miles, while the distances of the asteroids vary in round numbers between 200 and 400 million miles. With the exception of Eros, all known asteroids move in orbits whose mean distances are greater than that of Mars and less than that of Jupiter. It does not appear to be altogether certain that it really belongs to the group of minor planets, usually known as planetoids or asteroids. EROS is the name of a small planet discovered in 1898, by Witt, of Berlin.
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