Revolutionary Space: How a British astronomer discovered the NEW planet of the solar system | Science | New



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Frederick William Herschel, known simply as William Herschel, was a British astronomer born in Germany. On March 13, 1781, while making observations, he noted a new object in the constellation Gemini. After several weeks of verification and consultation with other astronomers, it would be confirmed that this planet would be a new planet.

It was the first planet to be discovered since ancient times and Herschel became famous overnight.

Herschel, who was later knighted for his historical discovery, named the planet Georgium Sidus, or "Georgian Planet," in honor of King George III of England, who was the ruler at the time. ;time.

However, the German astronomer Johann Bode proposed the name "Uranus" to designate the celestial body in order to conform to the classical names derived from mythology.

Uranus was the ancient Greek deity of heaven and was a predecessor of the gods of Olympus.

In the middle of the 19th century, it was also the generally accepted name of the seventh planet of the sun.

As a result of this discovery, George III appointed astronomer Herschel Court of the United Kingdom.

He was also elected as Member of the Royal Society and grants were awarded for the construction of new telescopes.

Astronomers now know that Uranus has a composition similar to that of Neptune, different from the larger gaseous giants of Jupiter and Saturn.

It is the coldest planetary atmosphere in the solar system, with a minimum temperature of -224 ° C (371F), and a complex layered cloud structure.

Astronomers believe that the interior of Uranus is mainly composed of ice and rocks.

Science has made great progress since its discovery over 200 years ago.

Space agencies such as NASA are investigating ways to colonize the solar system by cleverly using asteroids.

The same space rocks have even provided a glimpse into the history of the universe.

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