Sunday, March 18, 2018

This Week in Science History: Uranus

Article Written By: Teresa Marotta

 




  On March 13 1781, the planet Uranus was discovered by the British astronomer William Herschel. Uranus is the seventh planet from the sun and before its discovery it was often mistaken as a star as it appears dim and has a slow orbit. Uranus was named after the Greek god Ouranos, the lord of the heavens and is the only planet to be named after a Greek god rather than a Roman one. Other names including Hypercronius ("above Saturn"), Minerva (the Roman goddess of wisdom), and Herschel were proposed for the new planet. Johann Bode, a German astronomer, ultimately gave the planet its name.


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