Neptune is the furthest planet in the Solar System and is a relatively small gas planet. A new theory by University of Melbourne physicist David Jamieson postulates that Galileo was the discoverer of the planet Neptune. Although it is known that Galileo observed the planet Neptune, it has long been asserted that he discounted the object as a mere star. However, Jamieson claims that Galileo may have indeed formed the hypothesis that he had seen a new planet. Neptune is the farthest planet from the sun in our solar system, and as such, it is not visible to the naked eye. But during a certain time of the year it appears next to Jupiter, which is easy to spot, and it was also when Galileo recorded such an observation in his notes. [1]
Galileo, perhaps for his lack of decisiveness, is not universally recognised as the discoverer of Neptune. The person who holds that honour is the French mathematician, Urbain Le Verrier.[2] The existence of the planet was confirmed by astronomer Johann Gottfied Galle at the Berlin observatory. The discovery of Neptune took place less than a hundred years after Isaac Newton, and the planet was detected using ingenious mathematical arguments based on Newton’s laws of gravitation. Uranus was discovered in 1781 by William Herschel, and as such, its motion was expected to comply with Newton’s laws and the Celestial mechanics of Johannes Kepler. However, astronomers quickly observed that the orbit of Uranus was not consistent with the theoretical laws. Thus the dilemma was posed that either Newton’s laws were somehow false, or there was a force which was pulling Uranus from its predicted path. The only known force that could be held responsible for the noted discrepancies was an unknown planet even father from the sun. And hence followed the discovery of Neptune in 1846 by Le Verrier. [3]
Neptune’s discovery expanded the size of the solar system by a factor of 50% and it served to validate Newton’s and Kepler’s laws of physics and celestial mechanics. Fellow mathematician Arago aptly coined the phrase the Le Verrier had discovered a planet with the “point of his pen”. Another of his colleagues proclaimed that “he discovered a star with his pen, without any instruments other than the strength of his calculations alone.”[4]
The discovery of Neptune came with some controversy. Two people claimed to discover it, nearly at the same time. John Couch Adams and British scientist worked out that another planet must be affecting the gravitational pull of Uranus as it was drifting. At the same time another Scientist Le Verrier a Frenchman came up with the same Hypothesis. Adams may have predicted the planet first. But Le Verrier predicted its location in the solar system much more accurately than Adams[5]. Adams was 20° off. Whereas Le Verrier was only 1° off. This was certified by Johann Gottfried an astronomer in Berlin. Adams never published his work and when a claim was put in for his discovery of the planet the French science community as well as many of the French people (this was a rare occasion when the public became interested in a scientific dispute) were not best pleased. Adams however did not ever want to force through that it was him, but it was mostly on his colleague’s part that it was done to give him some credit. In the present day it is often recognised that Adams was the mathematical plotter behind the discovery of Pluto and Le Verrier was the charismatic mathematician that brought scientific argument to the public. Both are credited with the discovery.
Bibliography
[1] Roy Brit, Robert. Space on msnbc.com. 7/9/2009. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31835303
[2] Kollerstrom, Nick. Neptune’s Discovery, http://web.archive.org/web/20051119031753/www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/nk/neptune/chron.htm
[3] http://www.bookrags.com/research/leverrier-adams-and-the-mathematica-scit-0512345/
[4] http://www.bookrags.com/research/leverrier-adams-and-the-mathematica-scit-0512345/
[5] http://www.universetoday.com/46253/discovery-of-neptune
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