December 28: Galileo discovers a new planet in the solar system

On December 28, 1612, Galileo observed a new planet in our solar system with a telescope. It is the furthest planet in the solar system, Neptune.

Galileo Galilei was an Italian astronomer, physicist, mathematician and philosopher, who played an important role in the scientific revolution. Galileo was called the "father of modern astronomy", "the father of modern physics", "the father of science" and "the father of modern science". Stephen Hawking said "Galileo is perhaps more than any individual person, responsible for the birth of modern science".

Galileo Galilei

Galileo was the first astronomer to observe Neptune, but Galileo mistook Neptune as a fixed star when it appeared in close proximity to Jupiter in the sky. So Galileo was not recognized as the discoverer of Neptune.

The astronomers Le Verrier and Adams were the ones who studied and discovered the orbit of the planet, after which they were recognized as discoverers of Neptune.

With only one telescope, Galileo was able to detect the farthest planet in the solar system in 1612.

Immediately after the discovery, it was called Neptune simply "planet outside Uranus" or "planet Le Verrier" . Galileo was the first to propose a name, which he called the planet Janus . After being recognized as the discoverer of Neptune, Le Verrier immediately proposed the name Neptune , and declared untrue that the name was officially recognized by the geography and astronomical authorities. "Bureau des Longitudes" of France.

Neptune is the eighth and most distant planet from the Sun in the Solar System. It is the fourth largest planet in diameter and the third largest in volume. Neptune has the largest density of the planets in the solar system. Neptune has 17 times the mass of the Earth.