Scientific American Supplement, No. 530, February 27, 1886Various
Science
Scientific American Supplement, No. 530, February 27, 1886
Various
Science -- Periodicals
In the twentieth volume of the _American Journal of Science_, at page
225, I gave a preliminary account of my search, theoretic and practical,
for the trans-Neptunian planet. I say _the_ trans-Neptunian planet,
because I regard the evidence of its existence as well-founded, and
further because, since the time when I was engaged upon this search,
nothing has in the least weakened my entire conviction as to its
existence in about that part of the sky assigned; while, as is well
known, the independent researches in cometary perturbations by Prof.
Forbes conducted him to a result identical with my own--a coincidence not
to be lightly set aside as pure accident.
That five years have elapsed since this coincidence was remarked, and the
planet is still unfound, is not sufficient assurance to me that its
existence is merely fanciful. In so far as I am informed, this spot of
the sky has received very little scrutiny with telescopes competent to
such a search; and most observers finding nothing would, I suspect,
prefer not to announce their ineffective search.
The time has now come when this search can be profitably undertaken by
any observer having the rare combination of time, enthusiasm, and the
necessary appliances. Strongly marked developments in astronomical
photography have been effected since this optical search was conducted;
and the capacity of the modern dry-plate for the registry of the light of
very faint stars makes the application of this method the shortest and
surest way of detecting any such object. Nor is this purely an opinion of
my own. But the required apparatus would be costly; and the instrument,
together with the services of an astronomer and a photographer, would,
for the time being, be necessarily devoted exclusively to the work.
While, however, the photographic search might have to be ended with a
negative result, in so far as the trans-Neptunian planet is concerned,
there would still remain the series of photographic maps of the region
explored, and these would be of incalculable service in the astronomy of
the future.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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