PTUNEModel by: Jerome McLeod

Group: McWindlardael

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Introduction

• Our Physics Genius: John Couch Adams

• The disputed discoverer of the planet Neptune

• Credited for finding the planet mathematically

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Late one night in his office

• The Couch after research about perturbations of Uranus

• Broke out his “large Northumberland Refractor... with a magnifying power [on] 170”

• Took on the skies as they stood in the sky

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In Response

• Compared star maps with Bessel’s Zone and other journals concerning longitudes of stars

• He was on to something

• The blue mass caught his attention

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Using His Knowledge...

• Started tracking Neptune

• Not informed of current research of Neptune

• Reasoned with star locations and began following Neptune often

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Sharing with the World

• Comparing notes with other professors,

• More information grew from the discovery

• Became aware of other Neptune research

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Why Do We Care?

• You can do what he did too!

• That’s a Y.O.U. you

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Couch’s Data Tracking Skills

• Relayed to him by Professor Challis

• Contained:

• Heliocentric Elements

• Longitude, Distance from the sun

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August, 2 1846

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How He did It

• Heliocentric Tracking

• Confirming evidence with mathematics

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