Gauss had toyed with the orbit determination problem a few weeks earlier but had
set it aside for other interests. He now devoted most of his time to the problem,
produced an estimate of the orbit of Ceres in December, and sent his results to
Piazzi. The new “planet” (later reclassified as an asteroid), which had been sighted
on the first day of the year, was found again—by its discoverer—on the last day of
the year.