Science
An Overview of Neptune
Discovery of Neptune
First Discovery
Telescope
Galileo
Additional Sightings
Second and Official Discovery
Mathematics
Adams, Le Verrier, & Galle
The Planet
Atmospheric Conditions
Characteristics
Neptune's Orbit
Comparison to Earth
Neptune is the eighth, and furthest, planet from the sun. This blue gas giant has been named in the tradition of other planets, with a name taken from mythology; Neptune is the Roman god of the sea. The planet has an interesting history, and characteristics which clearly differentiate it from other planetary bodies. The aim of this paper is to examine the planet, looking at its discovery as well as its' characteristics and the way it compares to earth.
2.
Discovery of Neptune
The official discovery of Neptune occurred in 1846, but the history of discovery can be traced back much further, with the apparent identification of the planet more than two centuries before it official recognition. Hindsight indicates that the planet had been recorded by a number of observers beginning more than two centuries before.
2.1
First Discovery
2.1.1
Telescope
The first discovery only occurred after the development of Tesco's. Although five planets of the solar system may be observed easily with the naked eye, and Uranus has the potential to be seen unaided is observed from a perfectly dark place, Neptune does not have sufficient brightness to be observed without a telescope. This with a brightness magnitude between +7.7, and +8, the planet will never be visible to be seen unaided (Williams, 2014; Grosser, 1962). Not only does the planet have low magnitude brightness, the planets own moons are able to outshine it (Williams, 2014). Therefore, the initial observation of Neptune occurs only after the telescope comes into use.
2.1.2
Galileo
The first observations of Neptune appear to have taken place in 1613, when Galileo Galilei recorded the observation of an object in a drawing on 28 December (Grosser, 1962). Galileo made a similar observation on 27 January 1613, recording an object that appeared to be very close to Jupiter (Grosser, 1962). Traditionally, it is believed that Galileo believed that the planet, which would later be named Neptune, was a fixed star as it appeared to be stationary in the sky, rather than moving in orbit as would be expected of a planet (Jones, 2014). However, at the point of discovery Neptune just entered the retrograde this stage of its cycle on the day it was initially observed explaining its apparent lack of movement (Jones, 2014). However, in more recent research undertaken by David Jamieson, an Australian physicist, it appears that Galileo may have been aware that is observation was significant, as the notation for 28 January 1613 is made in a different ink, indicating the been differentiated, and further observations, including a sketch on 6 January appears to indicate he was observing this heavenly body in a systematic manner (Jones, 2014). However, without any specific nose, and no evidence of further observational attempts, the evidence is inconclusive regarding his interpretation of the observation (Jones, 2014).
2.1.3
Additional Sightings
Galileo was not the only individual studying the heavens, who noted the presence of an object that would later become known as Neptune. In all cases, the telescopes were of limited strength, so the relatively dull planet would only have appeared as a small and difficult to observe. However, it is also recorded that it was observed in 1795 by Jerome Lalande who observed it from the Paris Observatory, and then in 1830 by John Herschel, although neither recognized the body as a planet, both of whom classified it as a star.
2.2
Second and Official Discovery
The story of the official discovery of Neptune varies from other planets which had been discovered up to that point, instead of being observed and then studied; the presence of a planet was identified using mathematical calculations to indirect evidence, rather than its presence being observed from a telescope.
2.2.1
Mathematics
The mathematical discovery that Neptune should exist starts with the publication of astronomical tables by Alexis Bouvard. These tables, published in 1821, recorded the orbit of Uranus, and provided a basis for a theoretical orbit with that observed. The observations indicated significant deviations from the expected path, which resulted in a hypothesis by Bouvard that there were other gravitational influences impacting on the planets orbit (Jones, 2014).
2.2.2
Adams, Le Verrier, & Galle
In 1843 John Couch Adams examined the data regarding Uranus's orbit. Adams collected...
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