America Quote by William Herschel
![“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)
“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.”
About This Quote
The unseen planet exerts gravitational influence detectable through subtle orbital perturbations, akin to distant landmasses observed from afar.
In simple terms: Invisible forces reveal themselves via indirect effects.
Key Takeaway
Astronomical inference relies on observing perturbations.
Themes
astronomy
gravity
prediction
historical discovery
scientific method
Mood
curious
analytical
awe
Type
metaphor
explanatory
When to use this quote
- planetary discovery research
- educational lectures on orbital mechanics
- science communication
- space mission planning
Key Concepts
Newtonian mechanics
celestial dynamics
observational inference
Practical Applications
- modeling unseen bodies from orbital data
- teaching indirect detection techniques
Questions to Reflect On
- What does this analogy tell us about scientific inference?
- How can indirect evidence reshape our understanding of the cosmos?
![“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)
![“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)
![“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)
![“To a traveler paying his first visit, [San Francisco] has the interest of a new planet. It ignores the meteorological laws which govern the rest of the world.” quote by Fitz Hugh Ludlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6f5/fitz-hugh-ludlow-57918_bay-area_to-a-traveler-paying-his-first-visit-san_1888867.jpg)
![“... finding that in [the Moon] there is a provision of light and heat; also in appearance, a soil proper for habitation fully as good as ours, if not perhaps better who can say that it is not extremely probable, nay beyond doubt, that there must be inhabitants on the Moon of some kind or other?” quote by William Herschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f36/william-herschel-28349_appearance_finding-that-in-the-moon-there-is-a-prov_1897713.jpg)
![“I have looked further into space than ever human being did before me. I have observed stars of which the light, it can be proved, must take two million years to reach the earth. [ Having identified Uranus (1781), the first planet discovered since antiquity .]” quote by William Herschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ef2/william-herschel-28349_astronomy_i-have-looked-further-into-space-than-ev_2046887.jpg)
![“Coelorum perrupit claustra. He broke through the barriers of the skies. [ Herschel's epitaph ]” quote by William Herschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0ba/william-herschel-28349_astronomy_coelorum-perrupit-claustra-he-broke-thro_2663071.jpg)
![“I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. [salutes]” quote by Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3d2/bill-hicks-970_america_i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumor_655.jpg)
