The search to be undertaken consisted in a comparison made point by
point between the bodies shown on the map, and those stars in the sky
which Dr. Galle's telescope revealed. In the course of this
comparison it presently appeared that a star-like object of the
eighth magnitude, which was quite a conspicuous body in the
telescope, was not represented in the map. This at once attracted
the earnest attention of the astronomer, and raised his hopes that
here was indeed the planet. Nor were these hopes destined to be
disappointed. It could not be supposed that a star of the eighth
magnitude would have been overlooked in the preparation of a chart
whereon stars of many lower degrees of brightness were set down. One
other supposition was of course conceivable. It might have been that
this suspicious object belonged to the class of variables, for there
are many such stars whose brightness fluctuates, and if it had
happened that the map was constructed at a time when the star in
question had but feeble brilliance, it might have escaped notice. It
is also well known that sometimes new stars suddenly develop, so that
the possibility that what Dr. Galle saw should have been a variable
star or should have been a totally new star had to be provided
against.
Fortunately a test was immediately available to decide whether the
new object was indeed the long sought for planet, or whether it was a
star of one of the two classes to which I have just referred. A star
remains fixed, but a planet is in motion. No doubt when a planet
lies at the distance at which this new planet was believed to be
situated, its apparent motion would be so slow that it would not be
easy to detect any change in the course of a single night's
observation. Dr. Galle, however, addressed himself with much skill
to the examination of the place of the new body. Even in the course
of the night he thought he detected slight movements, and he awaited
with much anxiety the renewal of his observations on the subsequent
evenings. His suspicions as to the movement of the body were then
amply confirmed, and the planetary nature of the new object was thus
unmistakably detected.
Great indeed was the admiration of the scientific world at this
superb triumph. Here was a mighty planet whose very existence was
revealed by the indications afforded by refined mathematical
calculation. At once the name of Le Verrier, already known to those
conversant with the more profound branches of astronomy, became
everywhere celebrated. It soon, however, appeared, that the fame
belonging to this great achievement had to be shared between Le
Verrier and another astronomer, J. C. Adams, of Cambridge. In our
chapter on this great English mathematician we shall describe the
manner in which he was independently led to the same discovery.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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