The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-05-22
N DISCOVERY OF
PLANET NEPTUNE


.. # Each Others Efforts, job"
u s.''.. Adam. and Ls vsrrier s'mu'.
| .'s Attained the Same E"d-A
...a.,tuI Feat In Mathematics
:. discovery Of the planet Neptune
~, ~ mighty world swinging in the
Il. a.eos Of space nearly 3,Ooo'ooo''
Z" mile. away from our own earth
w y. cause Of a singular controver-
~. ..tveeu two great astronomers
!. =. English, the other French. This
~ '...,o,srsy ragged for years in jour
s '.ss, nsoers, books and in learned So
.su,:. aere are the facts;
-. distant planet Uranus had been
x y. by Sir John Herschel on
~.s.h "a 1881. 1t is l.7Sl.6 SO.ooo
niles from the sun.
Vbsu new planet or comet Is dis
.s,sed mathematicians OF the highest
~ ~ once compute its orbit or path
!, mace and publish its ephemeris.
.,,Ine II, exact position for the future.
number Of astronomers made
..h.merides for Uranus; but. unlike
~ other planets. it kept running on
\. tr.ck," always out a little further
Nan computed Again astronomers
.oon made new and accurate as pos
dbA tables. yet Uranus would not
m, Then they all knew that there
=, 4 world far and away beyond that
n M attraction made the disturbance
rsus was free to begin the gigantic
vcsk Of computing where 1t was IN
what direction. its distance and 'ts
wbit
John Couch Adams. a young mathe'
rauci,p IN Cambridge. England. at.
t,cked this problem. the greatest yet
mderhken by the human mind Ad'
I'M va aged twentyfour years when
hbeg,n the memorable research This
m h lS42
III hbon Of Hercules were surpass-
4 By this intellectual giant. and In
0ephmber. 1S45, he sent his results to
IN Greenwich observatory. But they
mn not published to the world. In
0rhbef be called at the observatory
nd left another paper giving full ele
nents Of the planet. And the astron-
euen Of England did not search for
he new world with their telescopes.
But meanwhile the great French as
tuuomer O. J. J. lie verrier. older by
everl gears than Adams. began a So
hhcu Of the huge problem. He pub
khed bis part one Of researches on
Nov. 10. 1915. and part two June |. 1916
Adams and lie verrier were not aware
dtheir mutual labors.
On Sept I lie verrier. In France, not
hvins q, telescope, wrote to DR. Gale
. Berlin to look for the new planet
nh letter was received 10 Berlin on
SeN q. lS48 When night came on
" Gale turned the telescope at the
ddsnated point In space. and soon the
~ man saw the hitherto unknown
vcHd at the mighty distance Of $3.50,
@l@N miles from the sun, making
~ circuit 10 about 1865 of our years.
me apparert angular diameter Of
~ moon and sun Is very nearly half
one degree. but Neptune was dis.
S'efed within one degree Of the com.
pa'ed position. or the average of both
VI lnese ill'lstrious mathematicians.
1ne solution Of this capital problem
~ ever been considered the highest
.eue'ement of pure mathematical as.
a000n!- At once controversy began
H~een France and England for hon.
" It was finally settled that both
=. ven worthy Of equal praise and
s...'eo nonors 20 long as men shall in.
habit the earth.
may % OF interest to the reader
WI 70 me-to say that ! heard the
"'o'e and aged Professor Adams
~' . very abstruse mathematical pa.
I" ~ Philadelphia In the year 1887
.. ..vs section A Of the American As.
~"'Oo For the Advancement of Sci.
s.s- :, Every astronomer In the room
80 e'ose and respectful attention.
American '>e" 'ofH