Category:
Research Papers
Sub-Category:
Astrophysics
Date Published:
January 30, 2015
Abstract:
In 1859, U. J. Le Verrier presented his Theory of the Movement of Mercury [1], based on analytical hand fitting of planetary orbit measurements taken over a century. Corrections were made for the influence of several other planets. As observed from Earth, the total of 5600 arcsec/century was mostly made up by the 5026 arcsec/century precession of the equinoxes, while 531 arcsec/century was fit to the other planets, leaving a discrepancy of 43 arcsec/century that was unaccounted for. Le Verrier obtained 39 arcsec/century and explained the discrepancy as the influence of an undiscovered planet called Vulcan. It must be commented that the entire discrepancy is less than a 1% uncertainty in the total measurement, or 8% of the other planets effect, requiring an almost unheard of accuracy for a measurement described as, “One of the most difficult in experimental Astronomy.”
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