The Discovery of Neptune
discoverers:
john couch adams, urbain leverrier, johann galle
YEAR of discovery:
1846
LOCATION:
berlin, germany
MYTHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION:
Neptune, god of the sea
Astronomical Attributes of Neptune
Situated between Uranus and Pluto, Neptune is a glowing bright blue planet with at least fourteen known moons to date. Rich with hydrogen, its cloud-laden atmosphere gives the planet a velvety, tranquil appearance. Yet this apparent serenity is deceiving — under the surface, Neptune’s terrain is extremely hostile. Large swathes of ice create a glacial, uninviting environment with some of the lowest temperatures recorded in the solar system. Giant storms — most prominently the ‘Great Dark Spot’, and smaller dark spots that have been identified since Neptune’s discovery — have the ability to shift position and feature piercingly sharp winds that are the fastest ever recorded.
The Discovery of Neptune
Befitting its astrological associations, the theme of confusion featured prominently in the discovery of Neptune. The planet was officially discovered in 1846, although some claim that Galileo had already sighted the planet in 1612. Two centuries later, Young English astronomer John Couch Adams hypothesised that deviations in the orbit of Uranus could be caused by the presence of another planet. Adam’s young age and his assumed lack of experience caused this hypothesis to be dismissed by the astronomical community. Around the same time, however, French mathematician and astronomer Urbain Leverrier had drawn similar conclusions as Adams, sending his findings to German astronomer Johann Galle. Galle and German-Danish astronomer Heinrich d’Arrest then found the evasive Neptune in the anticipated position. As Leverrier and Adams later became friends, it remains somewhat unclear which astronomer and which nation is to be credited with the discovery of Neptune. This story illustrates how knowledge derived by intellect can become clouded by subjective assumptions, even in the face of palpable evidence. It also indicates that the disclosure of truth does not necessarily adhere to conformist models, logic, and theory, but may decide to reveal itself in its own time.
Historical and Societal Backdrop
The discovery of Neptune followed as the peak of industrialisation had tangibly trickled into mainstream society and consciousness. Masses of people were drawn to towns and cities, as if lured by gravitational force, setting in motion a shift from rural to urban lifestyle. Although the arrival of Uranus had promised common people independence and freedom in the form of technological progress and self-determination, these ideals demanded a high price and were largely illusory. Only very few — factory owners and entrepreneurs — became rich, and the common work force struggled to keep their head above the murky waters, navigating poverty and disease as the smoke of factories wafted through the streets. While unshackled from the constraints and security of tradition and convention, people were now confronted by the boundless maelstrom of opportunities that growing capitalist society suggested, and faced the dilemma of choice intrinsic to increased freedom.
Many of the innovations that accompanied Neptune’s arrival featured the manipulation or distortion of reality. In response to the growing epidemics of disease, spurred mainly by filthy living conditions, poor ventilation, rubbish and waste, and contaminated water, advances in medical knowledge and treatment brought hope. Hallucinogens and opiates, not only providing illicit means of escaping reality, offered new ways of performing surgery with the help of anaesthetics. Photography – now technically produced and thus more widely available, picturing the lives of common place people rather than just the upper class – renegotiated the meaning of ‘realness’ and perception and gave rise to an endless ocean of human creativity and imagination. 1848 also saw the origins of modern spiritualism: after the supposedly successful communication with spirits at the home of the Fox sisters in New York, this new, parallel consciousness offered an alluring alternative to transcend the monotony and disenchantment of everyday life. In a political context, Neptunian themes emerged in Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’s publication of the Communist Manifesto in 1848. Their ideas of abolishing the distinction between state and civil society and thus re-instating harmony through this erosion of boundaries captured the imagination of millions. This time gave rise to a growing awareness of humanitarian and social issues, drugs, artistic innovation and spiritual conscience, all of which became increasingly accessible for the masses and pried open the ‘doors of perception’.
Neptune and the Sea
The role of the sea, Neptune’s mythological kingdom, was also redefined on a global scale. Travelling by sea had been a mostly dangerous affair in past centuries, reserved to those embarking on a journey on behalf of their political rulers, for war, trade, or reconnaissance purposes, or to go on an expedition. With the mushrooming of the steam engine, set in motion by industrialisation, the large swathes of land that became accessible in Australia and the Americas not only began to attract adventurers and those escaping desolate conditions in their home countries to make a new life for themselves. Sea travel now enabled a new type of migration: the inexpensive and practical relocation of societal outcasts, such as criminals and the poor. Discarding them to ‘faraway’ lands where they were ‘out of sight, out of mind’, this new regulation not only reflected an attempt to ‘purify’ society through illusory riddance, but also blurred the boundaries between ‘here’ and ‘there’, and obscured the meaning of ‘home’.
Amusement and Escapism
In the nineteenth century, the seaside itself shifted from a place frequented by merchants and fishermen to a glamorous recreation, leisure and entertainment hotspot. Not only the wealthy frequented the beach: the expansion of steam engine-powered travel allowed people living inland to access seaside towns and beaches, flattening social hierarchies and class differences. The booming of the leisure industry saw music halls, fairs, picnic areas, pier casinos and pubs being built around the seaside. Organised sporting events, originally intended for the elites, soon hosted great social diversity, providing a venue where rich and poor mixed and mingled. Blackpool in the United Kingdom and Coney Island in the United States became particularly well known as a day-trip or weekend holiday destination featuring such attractions. Neptune’s official discovery year, 1846, also coincided with the opening of Lake Compounce. Now considered the oldest, continuously operating amusement park in North America, Lake Compounce acted as an inspiration for the modern amusement parks industry that emerged thereafter. In the 1860s and 1870s, mechanical rides, such as the steam-powered carousel, were created. The Ferris wheel made its first appearance during this time, which enabled riders to ‘float’ above everyday life and captured the imagination of children and adults alike. Also, visitors experienced fairs as an enclosed model of a utopian city, filled with miracles, cultural fusion and progress, which created an illusory place enabling escape from everyday life. With so many people living and amusing themselves closely together, brought closer by shared visions of ideal life in their collective imagination, the merging and mingling encouraged by this proximity thus propelled forward the erosion of social boundaries ever so steadily. These trends accurately reflected Neptune’s astrological association with the transgression and blurring of boundaries through stimulation of the imagination.
