1936 CA or Adonis was discovered in 1936 by Delporte in Belgium. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.78, an
inclination to the Ecliptic of 1°.48, and a major axis of 1.969 units. On February 7, 1936, it approached to
within 1,200,000 miles of the Earth, in the sign Leo. It had reached perihelion in December 1935, at a point
slightly outside Mercury's orbit, at a distance of less than half an astrom. unit. Its diameter is less than ½ mile.
At aphelion it will go almost to the Jupiter orbit. Its period is about 2 years.
Another asteroid was discovered in 1940 that had approached to within 110,000 miles beyond the Moon's orbit.
v. Hermes.
Solar System Bodies: Jupiter.
The largest planet in the solar family: larger in fact than all other planets combined. Yet it is exceeded in
brightness by Venus, because of her greater proximity to the Earth. To the Greeks, known as Zeus; also
associated with Marduk, one of the gods of the Pantheon; known to the Hindus as Brahmanaspati. Jupiter has
11 satellites. The first four were among the earliest discoveries of Galileo, and can be seen with the aid of a
field glass. Statistics concerning the first five are as follows:
...................Period........Distance........Diameter
....Io.............1d.8...........262,000.........2109
....Europa.........3d.6...........................1865
....Ganymede.......7d.2...........................3273
....Callesta......16d.7.........1,000,000.........3142
....V.............11h.57m.........112,600..........100 est.
....VI.............................................100
....VII.............................................40
The dates of discovery are V, 1892; VI, 1904; VII, 1905; VIII, 1908; IX, 1914; X, 1938; XI, 1938. The orbits
of the outer four are so far distant from the planet that their motion is affected by perturbations due to the Sun's
attraction, to such an extent that they can hardly be said to have an orbit.
No. IX has an orbital inclination in excess of 90°, to that of Jupiter's orbit. No. VIII has an orbital eccentricity
of 0.38, whereby its distance varies from 9 to 20 million miles.
Solar System bodies: Saturn.
The planet next smaller in magnitude to Jupiter, and next more remote from the Sun, is remarkable for its
engirdling system of rings. It was the most remote planet known to the ancients. The surface of Saturn shows