RefNo | MM/9/55 |
Level | Item |
Title | Letter from G B Airy, Royal Observatory, Greenwich, to Edward Cooper |
Date | 23 December 1845 |
Description | Titled 'Supposed New Planet' and begins 'The following is the substance of a communication from Professor Encke, dated 1845 december 15'.
The letter gives the details of an observation by Hencke of Driesen near Landsberg and observations by Professor Encke and Mr Galle at Berlin. It is noted that the "supposed planet resembles a star of the 9th Magnitude".
Although Neptune - not officially discovered until 1846 - may seem a possible candidate for the body being observed, it is more likely to be an asteroid (cf MM/9/65, in which the asteroid Parthenope is described as also having a "brightness equal to that of a star of the 9th magnitude").
Letter appears to be a circular containing information supplied to Greenwich Observatory from foreign observers. |
Extent | 1 side |
Format | Manuscript |
AccessStatus | Open |
RelatedMaterial | For more on the discovery of Neptune see: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/nk/neptune/index.htm |
Fellows associated with this archive
Code | PersonName | Dates |
NA5034 | Cooper; Edward Joshua (1798 - 1863) | 1798 - 1863 |
NA8035 | Airy; Sir; George Biddell (1801 - 1892); astronomer and mathematician | 1801 - 1892 |