Since astronomy began to gain strength as a science and the appearance of the first telescope, the study of the Solar System has advanced. Progressively, the discovery of the planets revolutionized the way of seeing existence, causing a furor in the scientific community. The Earth ceased to be the center of the universe, to become part of an immense cosmos.
With the discovery of these celestial bodies, astronomy was able to lay its foundations for the future. Likewise, other secrets associated with space and its conception were revealed through years of study of the planets. The majesty of these space bodies is immense, serving as key pieces for the understanding of the universe.
You may also be interested in our article: Are there other planets similar to Earth?
How was the discovery of the 7 planets carried out? All you need to know!
The discovery of the 7 planets was not an immediate fact, but it did mark a before and after in astronomy. Thanks to such a premise, certain social and religious paradigms collapsed, which proclaimed an extremist idealistic attitude.
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The planets are celestial bodies that have existed since the dawn of the universe. Particularly those of the Solar System, They have been studied since prehistory as such.. Therefore, the discovery of the 7 planets was undoubtedly an arduous process, but how was it carried out?
The Chronicles of Ptolemy
Cluadio Ptolemy was one of the main practitioners of the knowledge bequeathed by Plato and Aristotle in astronomy. This important character in history was the one who initially proposed the geocentric theory of the universe.
From times even older than him, when Greek stoicism dominated, a series of planets were already evident, including Venus and Mercury. In that sense, the geocentric theory, supported that all the celestial bodies discovered to date, They revolved around the Earth.
For that historical moment, there was evidence of 8 planets, including the Earth, the Moon and the Sun as part of that group. The rest of the band was constituted by Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn; all revolving around the Earth.
The influence of Copernicus and Galileo Galilei
With the advancement of technology, new times and prophets began to emerge, including Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei. The first mentioned He was responsible for the heliocentric theory, where the idea that the Earth was the center of everything was refuted.
In addition, it was established that both the Sun and the Moon were celestial objects with different characteristics from a planet. For its part, the Sun was designated as the mother star of this part of the galaxy, considering that the planets revolved around it. In contrast, the Moon was cataloged as the first and only natural satellite of the Earth, orbiting it every 28 days.
The influence of Galileo Galilei contributed to the acceptance of the heliocentric theory, laying the foundations for what is currently known. In turn, he was the pioneer discoverer of four satellites belonging to Jupiter.
Herschel's discovery of Uranus
William Herschel was an outgoing character in the history of astronomy, who is credited with the discovery of Uranus. Until 1781, the date of the sighting, only six planets orbiting the sun were considered to exist.
The fact arose by accident, since the astronomer in question was dedicated to the study of the Gemini constellation. However, his surprise was great when he, just using his new reflecting telescope, he observed an object that he at first cataloged as a comet.
After an exhaustive investigation of its orbit, taking several days of tracking, he was able to check for the presence of a planetary disk. On the other hand, based on past investigations and comparing his recent data, he was able to conclude that it was Uranus.
Previously, figures such as Galileo Galilei had falsely framed Uranus as a satellite of Jupiter. However, its erratic orbit and lack of precision led to it losing track. It was not until Herschel where this discovery took the ideal path, until confirming the existence of the blue planet.
Interested in knowing when the discovery of new planets occurred? Learn about it!
By the time Uranus became known, many scientists thought that it would not be the last to be discovered. Thanks to Herschel's advances in the telescope, now there was a better weapon for the discovery of new planets.
However, eventually time passed and the news did not appear. Perhaps Uranus was indeed the last in the Solar System and the discovery of new planets was just a fantasy. Although, as expected, everything changed suddenly.
Appearance of Neptune and influence on Uranus
Inaugurated in the year 1800, the astronomical community began to show strange behavior in the orbit of Uranus. For some reason, the blue planet was constantly receding, taking more distance from its original position.
At that time, the gravitational laws established that the orbits of space objects can cause effects on each other. Their proximity and interaction generated the controversial gravitational waves, capable of pushing the orbit of a planet.
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It was not until the year 1845 that, in a joint work in Leverrier and Galle, the presence of Neptune was confirmed. Through the anomalies in the orbit of Uranus, it was possible to accurately calculate the size and distance of Neptune. In this way, a new planet was added to the count.
Pluto and the discovery of the planets beyond Neptune
The discovery of the planets beyond Neptune led to the consolidation of a new term, the current trans-Neptunian objects. However, long before such a definition, Pluto appeared in February 1930.
Hand in hand Clyde Tombaugh, the sighting of this peculiar planet was confirmed, thanks to the first calculations made by Percival Lowell. Until 2006, Pluto was part of the Solar System as one more planet. However, on that date, it was considered a "dwarf planet".
From the last century to the present, through space observatories, other discoveries of the planets farthest from Neptune have been confirmed. Among them, Ceres, Haumea and Eris stand out, planetoids with characteristics similar to Pluto.