Standage brings the controversies surrounding the discovery of Neptune to light, bringing the characters to life, giving the reader a true sense of the personalities behind the pens and telescopes. I must say, a majority of the book was captivating and a delight to read while the last few chapters, devoted to the discovery of Pluto as well as the first exoplanets, was quite dry and lacked the d The Neptune File recounts the discovery of the outer planets, Uranus and Neptune, in dramatic fashion. The Neptune File recounts the discovery of the outer planets, Uranus and Neptune, in dramatic fashion. I plan to read this one with my eighth grader, as it ties in beautifully with both her physics and modern history studies in homeschool this year.more (To date, NASA has confirmed over 1,800 exosolar planets!) Still, this is a very readable and enjoyable scientific narrative, one I would recommend to youth as well as adults. The last two chapters would benefit from a revision just because so much has happened regarding both Pluto (the recent fly-by) and the search for extrasolar planets since he wrote the book. It's also fascinating to reflect on how a story like this played out in 1846 - so very different from how it would play out in our age of social media.
Adams emerged as one of my new 19th century heroes: his humility is just as impressive as his intellect. I enjoyed his profiles of some of the major players involved in the discovery and the controversy that surrounded it, especially John Couch Adams, Airy, and Le Verrier.
His fascination with the history is evident on every page too. He makes the science, and even the math, not only interesting but understandable. I enjoyed his profiles of some of the major players involved in the discovery and the controversy that surrounded it, especially John Couch Adams, Airy, and Le This is a highly readable account of the 19th century search for Neptune, the first planet ever discovered not by observation but by mathematical deduction.
This is a highly readable account of the 19th century search for Neptune, the first planet ever discovered not by observation but by mathematical deduction.
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