The Neptune File: A Story of Astronomical Rivalry and the Pioneers of Planet Hunting

by Tom Standage

In 1841, while browsing in a Cambridge bookshop, a young English student named John Couch Adams happened upon a perplexed remark in an astronomical report on the erratic behavior of the planet Uranus. A gifted mathematician, Adams set about arriving at an explanation, commenting to a fellow student, "You see, Uranus is a long way out of his course. I mean to find out why." Eventually, he did, using not direct observation but, controversially, mathematical modeling of a sort that has become commonplace today. Adams's work, built in a close race against rival French scientist Urbain Le Verrier, eventually established that Uranus's path was influenced by the gravitational pull of the then unseen planet of Neptune; Standage credits both Adams and Le Verrier with its discovery.

Drawing on long-forgotten archives, including a scrapbook by the author of the remark that fired Adams's imagination, science correspondent Tom Standage serves up a fine tale of discovery. His story begins with the earliest scientific descriptions of Uranus, an annoyingly wayward planet whose "position in the sky obstinately refused to match up with the position predicted by theory"--the classical theory, that is, of a regular, clockwork universe, which obtained in Adams's day and would not quite be laid to rest until Einstein's time. Standage's story continues to the present, an era when astronomers are, it seems, discovering new planets at every turn. Thanks to Adams and Le Verrier, Standage writes at the end of this graceful book, "Uranus lit the way to Neptune--and Neptune now points the way to the stars." --Gregory McNamee

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History, Astronomy, Space, History Of Science, Biography

Hardcover

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Tom Standage is a journalist and author from England. A graduate of Oxford University, he has worked as a science and technology writer for The Guardian, as the business editor at The Economist, has been published in Wired, The New York Times, and The Daily Telegraph, and has published five books, including The Victorian Internet[1][2]. This book explores the historical development of the telegraph and the social ramifications associated with this development. Tom Standage also proposes that if Victorians from the 1800s were to be around today, they would be far from impressed with present Internet capabilities. This is because the development of the telegraph essentially mirrored the development of the Internet. Both technologies can be seen to have largely impacted the speed and transmission of information and both were widely criticised by some, due to their perceived negative consequences.

Standage has taken part in various key media events. He recently participated in ictQATAR's "Media Connected" forum for journalists in Qatar, where he discussed the concept of technology journalism around the world and how technology is expected to keep transforming the world of journalism in the Middle East and all around the world.

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Daren · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining look at the discovery of Neptune (and Uranus), rather than a look at Neptune (and Uranus), revolving (no pun intended) around men of science with strong personalities.
John Couch Adams, Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier (yes that is just one person), George Airy, James Challis, Johann Galle all played parts, but it was the revolutionary mathematical theories of Adams and Le Verrier, undertaken at the same time in England and France respectively which made finding Neptune with a telescope possible.

Uranus was the key to Neptune - the reason being that astronomers were unable to resolve the path of Uranus with any certainty - predicted positions were aligned for a year or two, then Uranus went off script. It was Adams and Le Verrier who determined that Uranus was being influenced by another planet - one further from the sun. They set about making calculations to determine where the planet was - and in this way Neptune became the first of the planets to be located mathematically before it was witnessed by telescope. This was all 19th century.

For me it was an interesting book, outside of my immediate interests, but I was glad it came to a close when it did. Standage did well to limit the repetition of the story, which was told in part in non-linear timeline.

Interestingly the end of the book (which talks of the 'modern' search methods for planets outside our solar system (published 2000, this is now out of date)) talks about Pluto, and foreshadows the removal of its 'planet' status - (a dwarf-planet now apparently).

I enjoyed the many diagrams throughout the book which assisted in the simple explanations which separate this book from more academic or more detailed works. This is definitely a books for the novice, and I am not sure that those with a thorough understanding of the topic would benefit much from this book.

3.5 stars, rounded up.


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[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a highly readable account of the 19th century search for Neptune, the first planet ever discovered not by observation but by mathematical deduction. Standage's writing style is engaging. He makes the science, and even the math, not only interesting but understandable.

His fascination with the history is evident on every page too. I enjoyed his profiles of some of the major players involved in the discovery and the controversy that surrounded it, especially John Couch Adams, Airy, and Le Verrier. Adams emerged as one of my new 19th century heroes: his humility is just as impressive as his intellect.

It's also fascinating to reflect on how a story like this played out in 1846 -- so very different from how it would play out in our age of social media.

The last two chapters would benefit from a revision just because so much has happened regarding both Pluto (the recent fly-by) and the search for extrasolar planets since he wrote the book. (To date, NASA has confirmed over 1,800 exosolar planets!) Still, this is a very readable and enjoyable scientific narrative, one I would recommend to youth as well as adults. I plan to read this one with my eighth grader, as it ties in beautifully with both her physics and modern history studies in homeschool this year.

[Lalit Singh Tomar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best book written on this topic. Published in 2000 this book tell us the wonderful story around the discovery of Uranus and then Neptune. Not only about the discovery but the stories of the great scientists of Victorian Era around whom these searches revolves.
Finding Uranus was itself was a great achievement of human kind. But based on its observation and the mathematical analysis the next planet Neptune was deduced on paper before it was actually observed in sky.
Personally I love to read stories of Astronomy especially based around Victorian Era . And the beauty of this book is that it explains a story which is a bid technical in nature to a layman. I found this book easy to read and very interesting.

[G. Branden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow going at first, and I put it down. But when I came back to it, it proved surprisingly engaging.

[Rfmorison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story. Clearly explained science. Thanks for lending it, James!

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of science has many tales of obsession, rivalry, and a panoply of eccentric characters. The discovery of planet Neptune has all of this and Tom Standage does a great job balancing the science with the personalities. For millennia, only five naked-eye planets and Earth were known to exist, and William Herschel's discovery of planet Uranus represented a paradigm change: if there was one previously unknown world out there, why not more? While the discovery of Uranus was by chance, the existence of Neptune was determined mathematically before anyone looked for it in a telescope. As two men independently worked out the planet's rough position, much of the book looks at the subsequent battles for the credit and what to name the new planet, questions that touched on individuals, institutions, and even nations. Along the way, Standage discusses the rise and fall of Bode's Law, the discovery of the first asteroids, and modern methods of detecting planets of other stars. This is an excellent journey through astronomical history.

[TheMadHatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book many, many years ago and it got lost on my shelf of other books that I bought but never got around to reading.

In my effort to finally get through these books I picked this up. While it is quite outdated now in terms of modern planet hunting, the information on the discovery of Uranus and then Neptune (using mathematics rather than observational techniques) was fascinating. I knew quite a lot about the discovery, but what I didn't know was the controversy with Adams and Airy and of course the politics involved (from who gets to name the planet, to who gets credit).

This was an easy and really engaging read. Recommend for astronomy buffs. Really frustrated that I did not pick this one up sooner.

Reading Challenge
Aussie Readers 2023 Calendar of Books Challenge: "November" - Read a book starting with N (Ignoring the)

[Patrick Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Credit should be given to Le Verrier, Galle, D'Arrest and Encke. Astrologer hats, not dunces, worn by Le Verrier and Adams in cartoons mentioned and shown, pages 135 to 137. Not the British flag either, showing only the crosses of England and Ireland. A French dig at Britain, giving a shout out to Scottish separation.

[Benjamin Bookman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another detailed look at a poorly known story today. The depth of detail is great, the readability is great, the science is my favorite part. But this one was a bit less engaging that some of his other books. It sort of felt like it could have been half as long without sacrificing anything. There were just a few too many side stories that felt like padding.

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really about the planet itself, but how it and other planets were and are discovered and by who. Still a sort of interesting book though. Didn’t realize there is so much controversy over planet hunting.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book and a solid look at astronomy in the 1700s

[Allison Henle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent scientific writing. Clear, compelling, and easy to follow.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this!!

[Peter Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is part thriller, part history science. If you want to really understand how science works, read this book. I use parts of this book all the time with my astronomy classes.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, the methods and story of the discovery of Neptune are pretty fascinating. Written in a highly readable fashion.

[Riz Montanye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe these astronomers were beefing so hard

[Preston Pendergraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

An outstanding little book. Very readable.

[Javier Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those interested in learning more about the history and even politics of the scientific/astronomical profession, this book gives a good insight into how nations and even diplomacy are governed by these headline-grabbing events.

For all of the recorded history of humans, astronomers had only known the planets visible to the naked eye. Even with the invention and use of the telescope, the prospects of discovering new planets similar to ours seemed remote. With the discoveries of both Uranus and Neptune, one through serendipitous discovery using state-of-the-art observing telescopes of one William Herschel, the other through rigorous mathematical computation available only after the insights by Sir Issac Newton.

The story is a classic case of national prestige, brilliant minds, planetary egos, and academic intrigue as astronomers and mathematicians in both France and England race to discover the elusive 8th planet. While it's preciously short on mathematics (perhaps a blessing for some, a curse to others) the book does explain cogently the basics of orbital mechanics and the need for government investment in astronomy as a whole. While the benefits might seem meager to some, what they return in our understanding of the universe around us is simply impossible to fully calculate.

[Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Neptune File recounts the discovery of the outer planets, Uranus and Neptune, in dramatic fashion. Standage brings the controversies surrounding the discovery of Neptune to light, bringing the characters to life, giving the reader a true sense of the personalities behind the pens and telescopes. I must say, a majority of the book was captivating and a delight to read while the last few chapters, devoted to the discovery of Pluto as well as the first exoplanets, was quite dry and lacked the dimension that the rest of the book contained.

[Bruce Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rushed but engaging overview of the personal and geopolitical rivalries that fueled one of the great scientific races--the search for a new planet, not yet observed but (for the first time) predicted by the mathematical anomalies of existing orbits. One of those books whose main value is to spur you on to further reading, though I confess my interest in the topic is sufficiently low to make that unlikely.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

After having read and enjoyed The Victorian Internet I thought I'd give The Neptune File a read. An interesting book, on an interesting subject - primarily about the people and process of using maths to predict the positioning of an unknown planet.

The end of the book wasn't so interesting, falling into the “is Pluto a planet” debate before briefly covering the newer, more technologically advanced methods of planet hunting.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good, fast-paced and interesting book on the discovery of both Uranus and Neptune. The best part is the depth with which the various scientists in Britain, France and Germany working on these goals are portrayed.
As for the last couple of chapters, which cover the more recent (post-1980s) discovery of extrasolar planets, the book is by this point very out of date, although it was before its time in encouraging Pluto's demotion from planethood.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The story of the discovery of Neptune, the first planet to be found initially by mathematics only. John Adams and Le Verner did the work nearly simultaneously, but the Frenchman was famous and Adams was a shy grad student. In the end, Adams is recognized for the first successful attempt, but there is some grand French/Anglo wrangling involved too."

[Natalie aka Tannat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently my understanding of the controversy over Neptune's discovery was incomplete. Standage's call on Pluto saves the book from feeling too dated in the last few chapters. And really, most of the book is spent covering events that occurred over 150 years ago, so datedness isn't much of an issue.

[I]

This is the second book by Tom Standage I have read...This guy can write. Having read a lot of popular astronomy books, I was expecting it to be a repeat of the stuff I already new. But surprisingly, it was fresh info. Though his other book "victorian internet" deserves five starts

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This informative book does an excellent job exploring the history of how the planet Neptune was discovered, and how explaining complicated scientific terminology in a way for my unscientific brain to understand. I look forward to re-reading it again in the future.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great synopsis of how we learned to find planets without seeing them including great backstory of the key historical players with a little humor thrown in here and there. I found this to be an easy going read that kept my scientific mind happy as well.

[Iamreddave · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have now read almost all of Standage's books. History of the world in 6 glasses and The Victorian Internet are my favorites.

Like the Turk this is a fairly flimsy tale spun out to a short book. I got up at 6 this morning to finish it which has to be a good sign.

[booklady]

Have looked into this book and really want to read the whole story someday...