Dr. Bauschinger has made a study of the minor planets discovered up to the end of 1900. He finds that the ascending nodes of the orbits show a marked tendency to cluster near the ascending node of Jupiter's orbit, a fact which agrees well with Prof. Newcomb's theoretical results. There seems to be a slight tendency for large inclinations and great eccentricities to go together; but there appears to be no connection between the eccentricity and the mean distance from the sun. The longitudes of the perihelia of these small planets "show a well-marked maximum near the longitude of _Jupiter's_ perihelion, and equally well-marked minimum near the longitude of his aphelion," which is again in good agreement with Newcomb's calculations.[119] Dr. Bauschinger's diameter for Eros is 20 miles. He finds that the whole group, including those remaining to be discovered, would probably form a sphere of about 830 miles in diameter. The total mass of the minor planets has been frequently estimated, but generally much too high. Mr. B. M. Roszel of the John Hopkins University (U.S.A.) has made a calculation of the probable mass from the known diameter of Vesta (319 miles, Pickering), and finds the volume of the first 216 asteroids discovered. From this calculation it appears that it would take 310 asteroids of the 6th magnitude, or 1200 of the 7th to equal the moon in volume. Mr. Roszel concludes that the probable mass of the whole asteroidal belt is between 1/50th and 1/100th of that of the moon.[120] Subsequently Mr. Roszel extended his study to the mass of 311 asteroids,[121] and found a combined mass of about 1/40th of the moon's mass. Dr. Palisa finds that the recently discovered minor planet (1905 QY) varies in light to a considerable extent.[122] This planet was discovered by Dr. Max Wolf on August 23, 1905; but it was subsequently found that it is identical with one previously known, (167) Urda.[123] The light variation is said to be from the 11th to the 13th magnitude.[124] Variation in some of the other minor planets has also been suspected. Prof. Wendell found a variation of about half a magnitude in the planet Eunomia (No. 15). He also found that Iris (No. 7) varies about a quarter of a magnitude in a period of about 6{h} 12{m}.[125] But these variations are small, and perhaps doubtful. The variability of Eros is well known. The planet Eros is a very interesting one. The perihelion portion of its orbit lies between the orbits of Mars and the earth, and the aphelion part is outside the orbit of Mars. Owing to the great variation in its distance from the earth the brightness of Eros varies from the 6th to the 12th magnitude. That is, when brightest, it is 250 times brighter than when it is faintest.[126] This variation of light, is of course, merely due to the variation of distance; but some actual variation in the brightness of the planet has been observed.