When were each of the planets first discovered and who did it?
Pluto was discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh in 1930. A 9th planet had been looked for for some time. It was believed that such a planet had to exist in order to explain some odd things happening in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. Tombaugh did a careful sky survey at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona. As a result, he discovered Pluto.
Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier - NASA
Le Verrier studied the planets Mercury and Uranus. He noticed both planets had unusual motions. Le Verrier thought an asteroid belt between Mercury and the Sun caused Mercury's unusual motion. We now know this was incorrect. He thought the unusual motion of Uranus was due to another planet that had not yet been discovered.
StarChild: The Planets and Dwarf Planets - NASA
A planet is a large space object which revolves around a star. It also reflects that star's light. Eight planets have been discovered in our solar system. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are the planets closest to the Sun. They are called the inner planets. The inner planets are …
StarChild: The planet Mercury - NASA
Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system. Mercury is about the same size as our Moon. It is very close to the Sun. Mercury travels around the Sun faster than any other planet. That is how it got its name. It was named after Mercury, the swift messenger of the gods in ancient Roman mythology. Mercury can only be seen from Earth just ...
John Couch Adams - NASA
He was educated in mathematics at St. Johns College, Cambridge. While still an undergraduate, he performed an investigation to try to explain the reason for the irregularities in the motion of the planet Uranus. Adams theorized that the unexpected planetary orbit could be due to the presence of an as yet undiscovered planet in the vicinity.
Urbain Le Verrier - NASA
Immediately after his appointment he began an intensive study of the motion of Mercury. He compiled extensive tables detailing the planet's motion, including its unusual characteristic of a varying perihelion. By 1845 Le Verrier had become interested in the motion of the planet Uranus.
How do planets and their moons get their names? - NASA
The planet probably received this name because it moves so quickly across the sky. Venus is the Roman goddess of love and beauty. The planet is aptly named since it makes a beautiful sight in the sky, with only the Sun and the Moon being brighter. Earth is the only planet whose English name does not derive from Greek/Roman mythology. The name ...
John Couch Adams - NASA
While a student there he used math to predict the presence of a new planet beyond Uranus. A few months after Adams made his prediction, a French astronomer also made the same prediction. The French astronomer was named Urbain Le Verrier. He wanted all of the credit for the discovery of the new planet which became known as Neptune.
StarChild: The Dwarf Planet Pluto - NASA
Pluto was discovered in 1930 by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh. However, it was not until the year 2015 that we finally got a close-up look at the dwarf planet. After a nine-year journey, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew by Pluto, taking pictures and collecting data. We now know that the surface of the dwarf planet is a tannish-red color.
StarChild: The planet Mercury - NASA
These factors contribute to the fact that the surface of Mercury has the greatest temperature range of any planet or natural satellite in our solar system. The surface temperature on the side of Mercury closest to the Sun reaches 427 degrees Celsius, a temperature hot enough to melt tin. On the side facing away from the Sun, or the night side ...
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