MYTH EXPLODED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22543, 7 October 1936, Page 10

MYTH EXPLODED

DISCOVERY OF PLANET STORY ABOUT NEPTUNE ASTRONOMER ROYAL'S DENIAL In science, as in history, there are certain myths which are repeated so often that at last they are accepted as the truth. Comparable perhaps with the story of King Alfred burning the cakes is the story about the discovery of the planet Neptune. This is to he found in popular, if inaccurate, books on astronomy, and is repeated even from lecture platforms. Jn the course of a lecture on astronomy recently given in Wellington, the lecturer, when dealing with the discovery of Neptune, related how the Cambridge student, Adams, had worked out by mathernatio; that there must be another planet in the solar system because the planet. I'ranus in its orbit was going 1.000.000 miles wrong. H-3 had rushed down to London to test his theory with the big telescope at Greenwich, but the .Astronomer Royal was having tea. and was not to be disturbed, so the great discovery was pigeon-holed. Unsatisfied Listener The papers, in fact, remained in the pigeon-hole for several years until a Frenchman made similar calculations; the Astronomer Royal remembered the student Adams and set his telescopes to work, but though the astronomers actually photographed the new planet several times they did not recognise it. The Frenchman sent his calculations to Germany, where the planet was detected the first night, and the huge new planet was named Neptune. That sounds a good story, but unfortunately it happens not to be true, and there was in the audience at that lecture & scientist with a passion for the truth and an abhorrence of the undeserved slight cast upon English astronomers. Knowing the story to be a myth and desiring to get unimpeachable evidence that it was s.o, he cut out of a newspaper the paragraph which retailed this story and sent it to the Astronomer Royal at Greenwich, Dr. G. Spencer Jones. The reply has now come back-and states: "It certainly seems to me desirable that attention should be drawn to the account. There is scarcely a statement in it that is,, correct.'' Facts of the Case The whole story is told without bias, adds the Astronomer Royal, in Professor H. H. Turner's "Astronomical Discovery," the pertinent facts being as follows: —Airy, who was the Astronomer Royal at that time, was interested in the investigations of Adams, and, when requested by Professor Challis, of Cambridge, to supply Adams with errors _of geocentric longitudes for Uranus .for the years 181S-26, he sent all the results of observations at Greenwich from 175-1 to 1830. Adams called at Greenwich in 184-5 to show his computations to Airy, but the fatter was in France at the time. Upon his return Airy wrote to Challis and expressed his interest in the investigations made by Adams Toward the end of October, 1845, Adams called at Greenwich, again in Airy's absence, and left, as requested, a paper giving the results of his investigations. Airy acknowledged the receipt of this to Adams, and_ inquired j of him whether the assumed"perturbation would explain the error of the distance of Uranus, as Adams had only tabulated the residual errors in mean ; longitude. Airy subsequently stated ! that he waited with much anxiety for an answer from Adams, which was delayed. First Seen At Cambridge "Adams." says the present Astronomer Royal, "did not rush down to London to test his theory with the big telescope at Greenwich. W hen Airy was satisfied that the unknown planet probably existed, he suggested to Professor Challis at Cambridge that he should immediately commence a search for the supposed planet, using the Northumberland telescope. This telescope was larger than any of the teleI scopes then at the Greenwich Observai torv. . "Airv did not believe that any ot | these would be large enough to discover the planet. In this, as is known ' now, he was.mistaken. It was at Cam--I bridge that the new planet was observed several times before it was ! 'discovered* in Germany. - Professor i Challis had made his observations more | rapidly than he could reduce them, j otherwise he would have detected the I motion of Uranus. Galle in Berlin had i the advantage of a new star chart, j which was not available to Challis. and had only to compare the sky with the ' chart to discover an object not shown on the chart." Thus, on the authority of the Astronomer Royal, is exploded yet another myth and honour is given where honour is due.