Astronomy Quote by Urbain Le Verrier
![“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)
““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 reason of their immense distance, but whose orbits might yet be traced in a succession of ages, with the greatest exactness, by the theory of Secular Inequalities. [ Following the success of the confirmation of the existence of the planet Neptune, he considered the possibility of the discovery of a yet further planet .]””
About This Quote
Source Scientific paper: 1846, “On the Prediction of a New Planet”
Success in discovering Neptune suggests future planets can be found by mathematical prediction despite great distances.
In simple terms: Math can reveal unseen worlds.
Key Takeaway
Use theory to guide exploration.
Themes
science
exploration
mathematics
discovery
astronomy
Mood
inquisitive
optimistic
Type
scientific
historical
aspirational
When to use this quote
- space missions
- academic research
- planetary science
Key Concepts
celestial mechanics
theory of secular inequalities
predictive modeling
Questions to Reflect On
- What limits our ability to predict distant objects?
- How does technology change discovery?
A Different Perspective
Predictions may fail without accurate data.
![“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)
![“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)
![“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)
![“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)
