#OnThisDay Sept 23, 1877, Urbain Le Verrier passed away.
He was the brilliant French mathematician who predicted the existence of Neptune using mathematics—before it was ever observed through a telescope! 🔭
Let’s explore his genius and legacy. 🧵
He was the brilliant French mathematician who predicted the existence of Neptune using mathematics—before it was ever observed through a telescope! 🔭
Let’s explore his genius and legacy. 🧵
In the early 1800s, astronomers noticed strange deviations in Uranus’s orbit that Newton’s laws couldn’t explain.
Was Newton wrong—or was something else tugging at Uranus?
Was Newton wrong—or was something else tugging at Uranus?
Le Verrier, sitting in his Paris office, crunched the numbers.
He hypothesized that an unseen planet was causing Uranus’s orbital “wobble.” His calculations pinpointed where to look in the sky.
He hypothesized that an unseen planet was causing Uranus’s orbital “wobble.” His calculations pinpointed where to look in the sky.
On September 23, 1846, astronomers Johann Galle and Heinrich d’Arrest in Berlin looked exactly where Le Verrier predicted.
There it was: Neptune, the eighth planet.
There it was: Neptune, the eighth planet.
Le Verrier’s feat was hailed as the “triumph of pure reason.”
He proved that mathematical prediction alone could reveal unseen worlds—a milestone in astronomy.
He proved that mathematical prediction alone could reveal unseen worlds—a milestone in astronomy.
Beyond Neptune, Le Verrier also worked on planetary motion, orbital mechanics, and improving celestial navigation.
He even briefly directed the Paris Observatory, though his management style drew controversy.
He even briefly directed the Paris Observatory, though his management style drew controversy.
Urbain Le Verrier’s story is a reminder: sometimes, the universe reveals itself not through observation first, but through the power of human thought.
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