Astronomy The Discovery Of Uranus Research Paper
Astronomy: The discovery of Uranus
What was the motivation that led to the discovery?
The motivation that led to this discovery was simply that the Universe was so big. Herschel knew that there had to be more out there than what has already been discovered. He made the effort to study the universe and came across what he thought was a comet, but ended up being planet Uranus.
What questions were asked?
There weren’t as many questions asked as a normal scientific discovery since it is claimed that Herschel discovered the planet Uranus by accident. However, as his discovery began to progress, many questions came about like ones about the satellites near Uranus. Herschel had discovered that there were satellites around Uranus, but was unsure
about them. He had to ask about the periods of the satellites and how they behaved in order to come to any conclusion. Also, questions like “How does this ‘comet’ (what was once thought) behave?” and “What is beyond the already known planets?”
What was the significance of the discovery?
The significance of the discovery of Uranus was that it first was by accident. Also, it wasn’t accepted back then to be other planets out there, therefore, when this discovery came about, it was very strange for everyone and more information was to be discovered. In the end, there were still many questions about Uranus and eventually, very later on, new discoveries were added upon Herschel’s findings. This proves that science is ever-changing.
Work with other scientists:
To begin with, William Herschel believed that Uranus was just a comet. Back in those days, it was only accepted that there were 5 planets and no more. However, other scientists soon discovered the Uranus was in fact a planet due to its circular orbit. Herschel had the sprout of a scientific discovery, but it took the help of other scientists to come to the conclusion that Uranus behaved as a planet. Because he worked with other scientists, they were able to discover something new and it ended up leading to new planet discoveries.
Citations:
Loomis, E. (1852). ART. XXXVIII.--on the satellites of uranus; American Journal of Science and Arts (1820-1879), 14(42), 405. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.byui.idm.oclc.org/docview/89588782?accountid=9817
Teerikorpi, P. (2009). The evolving universe and the origin of life: The search for our cosmic roots. New York, NY: Springer.
What was the motivation that led to the discovery?
The motivation that led to this discovery was simply that the Universe was so big. Herschel knew that there had to be more out there than what has already been discovered. He made the effort to study the universe and came across what he thought was a comet, but ended up being planet Uranus.
What questions were asked?
There weren’t as many questions asked as a normal scientific discovery since it is claimed that Herschel discovered the planet Uranus by accident. However, as his discovery began to progress, many questions came about like ones about the satellites near Uranus. Herschel had discovered that there were satellites around Uranus, but was unsure
about them. He had to ask about the periods of the satellites and how they behaved in order to come to any conclusion. Also, questions like “How does this ‘comet’ (what was once thought) behave?” and “What is beyond the already known planets?”
What was the significance of the discovery?
The significance of the discovery of Uranus was that it first was by accident. Also, it wasn’t accepted back then to be other planets out there, therefore, when this discovery came about, it was very strange for everyone and more information was to be discovered. In the end, there were still many questions about Uranus and eventually, very later on, new discoveries were added upon Herschel’s findings. This proves that science is ever-changing.
Work with other scientists:
To begin with, William Herschel believed that Uranus was just a comet. Back in those days, it was only accepted that there were 5 planets and no more. However, other scientists soon discovered the Uranus was in fact a planet due to its circular orbit. Herschel had the sprout of a scientific discovery, but it took the help of other scientists to come to the conclusion that Uranus behaved as a planet. Because he worked with other scientists, they were able to discover something new and it ended up leading to new planet discoveries.
Citations:
Loomis, E. (1852). ART. XXXVIII.--on the satellites of uranus; American Journal of Science and Arts (1820-1879), 14(42), 405. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.byui.idm.oclc.org/docview/89588782?accountid=9817
Teerikorpi, P. (2009). The evolving universe and the origin of life: The search for our cosmic roots. New York, NY: Springer.