Academy Quote by Johann Gottfried Galle
![“Sir,-The Planet [Neptune] whose position you marked out actually exists. On the day on which your letter reached me, I found a star of the eighth magnitude, which was not recorded in the excellent map designed by Dr. Bremiker, containing the twenty-first hour of the collection published by the…” quote by Johann Gottfried Galle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4d6/johann-gottfried-galle-159009_academy_sir-the-planet-neptune-whose-position-yo_2205721.jpg)
“Sir,-The Planet [Neptune] whose position you marked out actually exists. On the day on which your letter reached me, I found a star of the eighth magnitude, which was not recorded in the excellent map designed by Dr. Bremiker, containing the twenty-first hour of the collection published by the Royal Academy of Berlin. The observation of the succeeding day showed it to be the Planet of which we were in quest.”
About This Quote
Source Letter: Correspondence with Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers, 1846
The writer confirms the discovery of Neptune, noting its prior omission from maps and its identification through observation.
In simple terms: Neptune was found after being missed on earlier charts.
Key Takeaway
Recognize that new discoveries can emerge from careful observation.
Themes
science
discovery
astronomy
Mood
curiosity
excitement
Type
historical
scientific
When to use this quote
- academic research
- telescope work
- cataloguing stars
- planetary searches
Key Concepts
celestial mechanics
observation
historical astronomy
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we validate new astronomical findings?
- What role does prior knowledge play in discovery?
A Different Perspective
The claim relied on a single observation; further verification was needed.
![“We see it [the as-yet unseen, probable new planet, Neptune] as Columbus saw America from the coast of Spain. Its movements have been felt, trembling along the far-reaching line of our analysis with a certainty hardly inferior to that of ocular demonstration.” quote by William Herschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/44b/william-herschel-28349_america_we-see-it-the-as-yet-unseen-probable-new_93769.jpg)
![“Le Verrier-without leaving his study, without even looking at the sky-had found the unknown planet [Neptune] solely by mathematical calculation, and, as it were, touched it with the tip of his pen!” quote by Camille Flammarion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5e8/camille-flammarion-29232_discovery_le-verrier-without-leaving-his-study-wit_1448030.jpg)
![“This success permits us to hope that after thirty or forty years of observation on the new Planet [Neptune], we may employ it, in its turn, for the discovery of the one following it in its order of distances from the Sun. Thus, at least, we should unhappily soon fall among bodies invisible by…” quote by Urbain Le Verrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a11/urbain-le-verrier-108136_age_this-success-permits-us-to-hope-that-aft_1431791.jpg)
![“This success permits us to hope that after thirty or forty years of observation on the new Planet [Neptune], we may employ it, in its turn, for the discovery of the one following it in its order of distances from the Sun. Thus, at least, we should unhappily soon fall among bodies invisible by…” quote by Urbain Le Verrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/593/urbain-le-verrier-108136_astronomy_this-success-permits-us-to-hope-that-aft_1277098.jpg)
