On this day in 1860, French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier announced the discovery of an additional world between Mercury and the Sun, a planet he named
Vulcan (as far as I can tell, no connection to Spock's home world). Based on shaky evidence and an unreliable source in the scientific community, Le Verrier used Vulcan to explain Mercury's eccentric orbit, which he believed could only be caused by another planetary body in close proximity.
In the end, Le Verrier was thoroughly disproved by Einstein and his Theory of Relativity in 1915, 38 years after his death (1877).
Check out the complete Wired magazine article here:
http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2013/01/jan-2-1860-gentlemen-i-give-you-the-planet-vulcan/
No comments:
Post a Comment