10 degrees to the ecliptic, and its diameter was only 161 miles.

On March 28th, 1802, Olbers discovered a new seventh magnitude star,
which turned out to be a planet resembling Ceres. It was called
Pallas. Gauss found its orbit to be inclined 35 degrees to the
ecliptic, and to cut the orbit of Ceres; whence Olbers considered that
these might be fragments of a broken-up planet. He then commenced a
search for other fragments. In 1804 Harding discovered Juno, and in
1807 Olbers found Vesta. The next one was not discovered until 1845,
from which date asteroids, or minor planets (as these small planets
are called), have been found almost every year. They now number about
700.

It is impossible to give any idea of the interest with which the first
additions since prehistoric times to the planetary system were
received. All of those who showered congratulations upon the
discoverers regarded these discoveries in the light of rewards for
patient and continuous labours, the very highest rewards that could be
desired. And yet there remained still the most brilliant triumph of
all, the addition of another planet like Uranus, before it had ever
been seen, when the analysis of Adams and Le Verrier gave a final
proof of the powers of Newton's great law to explain any planetary
irregularity.

After Sir William Herschel discovered Uranus, in 1781, it was found
that astronomers had observed it on many previous occasions, mistaking
it for a fixed star of the sixth or seventh magnitude. Altogether,
nineteen observations of Uranus's position, from the time of
Flamsteed, in 1690, had been recorded.