Earthlings and X

The U. S. Press, with characteristic gusto, last week continued to lionize the new trans-Neptunian planet (TIME, March 24). Equally characteristic were despatches from England stating that British astronomers doubted the discovery, despatches from Germany referring laconically to "the Comet Lowell," despatches from France stating.that French astronomers had discovered over 100 planetoids during the past year.

British skeptics, headed by Dr. J. Jackson of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, based their doubts on the following: > Planet "X" has not the magnitude* predicted for it by the late Professor Percival Lowell; was not found exactly where Lowell predicted it would be; insufficient details were given by the workers at Lowell Observatory.

Professor Harlow Shapley, director of the Harvard Observatory, flew to the defense, said that Professor Lowell's calculations for the position of the planet were approximations, not claimed to be exact; that Lowell Observatory was slow moving, sure of itself, had not given out information until thoroughly checked.

At the Harvard Observatory, as at the University of Chicago's Yerkes Observatory (Williams Bay, Wis.) photographs were made of the new planet, calculations made. Harvard determined the magnitude of the planet to be 16, agreeing with the Lowell Observatory measurement.

A search was begun by Harvard astronomers for old photographic plates which may contain pictures of the new planet. If these are discovered additional material will be available from which may be calculated the precise position of X and its orbit.

While astronomers debated and calculated, names for X poured into newspaper offices. Mrs. Percival Lowell, widow of the planet's prophet, at first leaned toward "Percival" but now prefers "Lowell." Outside of Boston neither suggestion has been warmly received. Astronomers, a conservative clan, will likely select a classical name. If Clyde Tombaugh, first human actually to see the planet, suggests a name satisfactory to astronomers, it will doubtless be accepted. Names suggested last week: Telesis, Noveno, Amos, Andy, Tunney, Pax, Archie, Nonus, Cronos, Ceres, Juno, Vulcan, Persephone, Minerva, Excelsis, Coolidge, Hoover, Jesus.

Apparently little interested in the christening were workers at Lowell Observatory. Last week they spent trying to gather new X data.

*The magnitude of a star is the measure of its brightness: the higher the number, the fainter the star. In the step of one magnitude the light will decrease in the ratio of 1:2.512. Five magnitudes corresponds to a decrease in intensity in ratio of 1:100.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.