Biography
Urbain Le Verrier predicted the planet Neptune using mathematics alone. From small irregularities in the orbit of Uranus he calculated where an unseen planet must lie, and on the very night his prediction reached Berlin in 1846 the planet was found within a degree of his position — a triumph of Newtonian celestial mechanics.
Scientific contributions
- Predicted the existence and position of Neptune (1846)
- Analysed anomalies in the orbit of Mercury
- Directed the Paris Observatory
Major discoveries
Knowledge connections
- Part ofModern Astronomy
- PredictedThe 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.