The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-17
~ SIC RoBERT Ball.


Copyright. 1896, The S. S. Mcclure COD
In She course Of the present year we
have to celebrate the fiftieth anniver-
sary Of one Of the most famous as
Economical discoveries of modern
times, indeed it may truly be said Ct
one of the most famous discoveries
ever made in the whole annals Of as
tronomy. There is no chapter in the
history IF science which contains incl
dents of a more dramatic character
than those which ale described in the
narrative Of the discovery OF the planet
Neptune. Nor are other associations
wanting to lend additional attraction
TO this splendid achievement The hu-
man element, without which no story
could be completely interesting, is here
also present, and a memorable cen
troversy. the smouldering embers Of
which still occasionally bust into flame
has arisen with respect to the discover
er Of the renotest planet in our system.
AT the present time when the lapse Of
just half a century has again stimulat-
ed general interest in the subject,
There seems to be a special propriety
IN attempting once more TO draw at
gention to the series OF never-to-pe-for-
EDrlCE 4lNGlLIAdllOLS WHICH DIOsl5 III
Neptune into light
To cell the story from the beginning,
~ is necessary TO commence with the
latter part OF the last century, when
those who loved to hear about the stars
We're astonished by the announcements
OF the first discovery of a planet which
had ever been made since the time
when history commenced. The older
planets. Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury,
Venus and Mars happ ixnnvvn 10
observers OF the heavens prior to the
very earliest ages Of which we have
any record. No fresh additions had
been made to the slender list of i've
until William Herschel, then organist
at the Octagon chapel at Bath, sudden
ly sprang into fame by~the announce
1nent that with a homemade telescope
he had, on the night of the 18th Of
March, 17S1, discovered the vast orb
which presently received the name of
Uranus. HerSchel was led to this dis
covery by having imposed upon himself
the task of examining all the stars he
could find whose magnitude exceeded
q certain limit. In the fuldllment of
this scheme he happened on the night
In question, to be reviewing the vari-
Gus stars in the constellation Of Gemini,
when his penetrating glance was at
1racted by an object which seemed diff
ferent from the ordinary stars which
are Strewn in such thousands over the
SKY Closer inspection revealed that this
object was a planet. Hence came the
announcement Of the superb discovery
of mighty orb which revolved far cut
side the orbit of Saturn. An immense
Enlargement was thus given to the di-
menSions Of the planetary system as
they had been previously understood.
When Herschel had directed atten-
ton to this new object Uranus, it was
naturally submitted to careful observa-
ton by astronomers all over the world.
They were anxious TO learn all that they
could with reference to the nature and
the movements OF this newly added
member of our solar system. Ii was
presently found that the planet required
a period OF about eighty-one years for
the accomplishment of a complete revo-
luton around the sun. AS the wears
passed by, observations were aceumu-
lated showing the several points which
the planet occupied in the different
stages of its circuit. More and more
accuracy was thus infused into our
knowledge of tie various circumstances
OF the motion of Uranus. AT last as
tronomers We're able to follow with all
needful precision the mighty highway
which the great planet pursued as it
traced out what was then supposed to
constitute the frontier of the solar sys-
tenn. 1t was found that like the orbits
OF all the other great planets, the high
way of Uranus was not exactly a cir
Gle, it was in fact al oval, or as we
should say more accurately, and ellipse.
and the details of the size and position
of this ellipse, were carefully studied.
and became exactly known
AS soon as the track Of Uranus
through the heavens had become de-
termined, it was possible to find with
some approximation the position which
the planet occupied at any particular
date even though that date were an
tecedent to its discovery. In fact
time table was formed from which the
locality of the planet, not only for each
year, but even for each day. could be
6scerrained for any past epoch extend
ing If necessary to centuries before
Herschel lived. 1t happens singularly
enough, that a planet of the size Of
Uranus and situated at its distance
from the earth, bears striking re-
semblance though Of a very superficial
kind, to an ordinary star. Such a
planet is indeed very liable to be mis-
taken for a star, and as the history of
Uranus was studied, it came to the
knowledge Of astronomers that though
this object had never been recognized
as a planet before the eagle glance of
Herschel first detected it, yet that 1t
had in a certain sense often come under
khe observation If preceding observers.
Nor is this fact to be wondered at, when
we reflect that Uranus is bright enough