« THAT STAR IS NOT ON THE MAP » a German perspective on the discovery of Neptune

Davor Krajnovic – AIP, Potsdam

Neptune was discovered on 23 September 1846 in Berlin, by Johann Gottfried Galle and Heinrich Louis D’Arrest, based on the prediction by Urbain Jean Jospeh Le Verrier. The role German astronomers played in the discovery has often been overshadowed by the controversies that erupted in England and France. Their role was, however, crucial, not only in bringing about the discovery, but also in resolving some of the post-discovery controversies, such as the priority for the prediction and, significantly, naming of the planet. The general neglect of the German part of the story is most strongly attested by the inaccuracies concerning what actually happened on discovery night, which were long propagated in the English-speaking literature. In this talk, I will focus on the German side of the discovery and argue that the discovery of Neptune, like any scientific discovery has its « lucky » moments, but it was primarily a result of a long term scientific project.