The Discovery of Neptune Revisited

TL;DR

This paper revisits the historical discovery of Neptune by analyzing orbital perturbations of Uranus caused by Neptune and Pluto using modern numerical methods, providing new insights into planetary influences in the Solar System.

Contribution

It offers a modern numerical analysis of orbital perturbations caused by Neptune and Pluto, enhancing understanding of historical and current planetary influences.

Findings

Quantitative assessment of Neptune's perturbations on Uranus

Analysis of Pluto's effects on Neptune's orbit

Implications for the hypothesis of Planet Nine

Abstract

The study of the differences detected between the observed and the predicted positions of Uranus taking only the ancient planets into account led to the discovery of planet Neptune in 1846. This event remains one of the best accomplishments ever achieved in the history of Astronomy and Classical Mechanics. In this paper, we study the perturbations in the orbit of Uranus due to Neptune and its effects from a modern numerical point of view of the $N$-body problem. The effects induced by Pluto in the orbit of Neptune, as the historical search for a ninth planet in the Solar System (recently boostered again with the hypothesis of the so-called Planet Nine) back in the days was propelled by some supposed small inconsistencies in the orbit of the ice giants, are also analyzed.