The Discovery of Neptune (1845–1846)

Abstract

The discovery of Neptune has been the subject of an immense literature, for it was undeniably one of the major scientific events of the nineteenth century. It is well known that the effort to discover the perturbing planet responsible for the abnormal behavior of Uranus was carried out simultaneously in England and France, and that La Verrier was the first to announce the discovery, John Couch Adams having independently obtained similar results. From these events, interminable controversies followed, in which nationalism played a large role, and even today they are not totally extinguished.But at least it is now possible to look at these matters with cooler heads, and with relative neutrality.