Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1846-10-31
LIE vERRIER's PLANET.
\ THE VIEW HAVEN PALLADIUM or FRIDAY.

PROM THE VIEW HAVEN PALLADIUM FRIDAY.
Although this body equal in brightness only star Of
the eighth magnitude and will therefore be visible to
the naked eye, bear any important relations world
vet the mode of its discovey-evncing does tho vast
reach of mathematical analysis penetrating the of
Natue-renders il of the proudes umphs Of modern
astronomy. Here is body thrtysx hundred millions of
miles from us, sending only the feeble light Of telesco
pic star, which not only recognised belonging
lar SYSTEM its solitary dwelling the depths space
Swallowed forth to the mathematician in his closet before
the largest telescopes had revealed its existence Let
by what successive steps this extraordinary result was
reached.
We keep in mind that in accordance with the law of
universal gravaon every body in the solar system attracts
every other and tends to disturb its notions Such boz
dies for example, Jupiter and Saturn powerful
attraction that their influence is felt distance, reach
ing to the planet Uranus and alternately acceeating
and reardng Its progress around the sum- Now, the nature
and intensity of force be estimated from its effects and
the weight quantity Of matter Saturn JUPITER and even
its distance any given time from Uranus might be deter
mined from its effects the motions of the latter planet
Moreover of these disturbing bodies Saturn for
example, altogether invisible its existence and weight
and its place the heavens could be inferred from these eft
fecs Uranus The problem would indeed be of great
difficulty, requiring all the Of the inntessma
ayss, guided by the law of universal gravitation Still
could be DONE 1t by method somewhat like this 2at
the existence of the newscovered planet Inferred and
its distance and place in the heavens assigned After est
mating all the disturbing forces that accelerate retad the
motion of Uranus around the arising from the uneda
fractions of all the known bodies Of tho solar SYSTEM it was
found that they all failed for the actual places
piel by the planet determined by observation Hence
hidden force beside these must be in operation. LIE
Veer the first show that this force actually that
of undiscovered planet moving around the at twice
the distance Of Uranus and having, the LIST of January
next longitude of about $3.50. This hypothesis was first
proposed the French Academy their sitting November
TO- ls45, but fully expounded at the meeting OF
the body June 4th lS46. On this subject SIR John
Herschel following language reported In the Lon
Sd " In address to the British
Association assembled Southampton stated, among the
remarkable astronomical of the last twelve months
that it had added planet list adding has
done more- has given the probable prospect of the dis
covery of another We it Columbus America
from the shores of SPAIN Its movements have been feH
trembling along the ar-reachng line Of analysis with
certainty hardly inferior to that of ocular demonstration.
After stating that the late ustous astronomer Besse had
intmated to him early July, lS42, the probability of
planet beyond the sphere Of Uranus Sir John proceeds
to observe that at the time when he made the foregoing
marks he not only Of the calculations Of LIE YER
rier, but also that similar investigation had been made by
Mr. Adams, young mathematician Of Cambridge while in
entire ignorance Of the conclusions of lie Verrier.
Nothing could exhibit strkngy both the sublime reah
Of physical astronomy and the mmutaby truth itself than
that such results should have been obtained by ndepe
dent routes by mathemacans their closets each directing
the practical where point his telescope order
member Of the solar system far from the
the planet before known, which supposed
be the farhest confines of that system and nothing
iken the Divinity than this possession of
mind which, by its creations ahom depths of space
profound and Of hand which
clothes the eye with such extraordinary powers of vision
be able at verify these wonderful revelations OF the
tellect. o.