Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier (1811-1877), French astronomer and mathematician with Louis-Philippe, King of France, following his correct prediction o
Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier (1811-1877), French astronomer and mathematician with Louis-Philippe, King of France, following his correct prediction of the existence of the planet Neptune, confirming Newton's gravitational theory. He deduced that perturbations in the orbit of Uranus were due to the gravitational effect of an unknown planet. He calculated its probable mass and orbit, and on 18 September 1846 sent a prediction of its position to the German astronomer Johann Galle in Berlin. On the 23rd September, Galle discovered a celestial object only 1degree away from the calculated position. Galle was able to confirm by measurement of its motion that it was a planet. Le Verrier was awarded the Copley Medal by the Royal Society, gold medals by the Royal Astronomical Society and was made an officer of the Légion d'Honneur by Louis Philippe.
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Keywords: 1801, academy, association, bell, bonaparte, bureau, davy, deaf, france, gold, graham, gramme, humphry, institute, medal, napoleon, paris, pile, prize, ruhmkorf, sciences, volta, voltaic
