Planet
a heavenly body which, to old-world observers, seemed to wander about aimlessly in the sky, thus markedly contrasting with the orderly movements of the fixed stars. Subsequently it was discovered that the seemingly erratic bodies were as regular in their movements as the others, revolving, like the earth, around the sun. Planets are primary or secondary, the former revolving around the sun, the latter around the primaries. The primary planets known to the ancients were five: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Omitting asteroids, comets, and meteoric rings, eight are now known. Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Twenty-one secondary planets are known, the Moon, transfer it to 1857, which alters the two satellites of Mars, five of Jupiter, numbering of all the minor planets from The term asteroid, applied to these small bodies, is now becoming obsolete, the appellation minor planets taking its place. They are sometimes also called extra-zodiacal planets, from their orbits stretching outside the zodiac, which is not the case with those of the normal type. Authorities differ respecting some minute points in the list of asteroids.
Melete, when discovered on Sept. 9, 1857, was mistaken for Daphne, an error not detected till January, 1859. Herschel, Proctor, etc., number it 56, and place the date 1857, where it offends the eye, in 1859; others, with Mr. G. F. Chambers, 47 to 56. There are other minute differences between lists of asteroids by leading authorities.