Biography
Johann Galle was the astronomer at the Berlin Observatory who, on 23 September 1846, pointed his telescope where Urbain Le Verrier's calculations predicted and found Neptune almost at once. With his student Heinrich d'Arrest he turned a mathematical prediction into the discovery of a new planet.
Scientific contributions
- First to observe the planet Neptune (1846)
- Confirmed Le Verrier's prediction within a degree
Major discoveries
Observatories, instruments & objects
Knowledge connections
- Part ofModern Astronomy
- ObservedNeptune
- First observedThe Prediction and Discovery of Neptune
Sources & references
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica
General reference for the history of astronomy, biographies, and cultural context.
- IAUInternational Astronomical Union
Official naming, definitions, constellation boundaries, and astronomical nomenclature.