# Herschel's Discovery: When Uranus Doubled Our Solar System

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Mrs. Your Astronomy Tonight Podcast.

Welcome Star Grazers.

On March 10th, we celebrate one of the most dramatic discoveries in astronomical history.

The day in 1977, when William Herschel discovered Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun.

Picture this, it's the evening of March 10th, 1977, and William Herschel, a German-born

British astronomer, is doing what he does best, methodically scanning the night sky with

his telescope from his garden and bar thingland.

He's actually looking for something else entirely, when he notices a peculiar, faint greenish

disc moving against the background of stars.

At first, he thinks it might be a comet, but further observations reveal something far

more extraordinary.

This object is a planet, the first one discovered since ancient times.

This was absolutely revolutionary.

For thousands of years, humans had observed five planets moving across our sky.

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Everyone thought that was it, the complete set.

But Herschel's discovery suddenly doubled the known size of our solar system overnight.

It was as if the universe itself had winked and said, Plot twist.

Uranus is a magnificent ice giant, a massive ball of methane, ammonia, and waterice, rotating

on its side at a truly bonkers angle.

In fact, its axial tilt of 98 degrees means it literally rolls around the sun like a

cosmic bowling ball, a unique characteristic no other planet shares.

What makes this discovery even more delightful, is that Herschel initially wanted to name

it Georgian Siders, the Georgian star after King George III, which would have been hilariously

pretentious.

Fortunately, the astronomical community had better taste, and we ended up with the name Uranus,

meaning the classical mythology theme of the other planets.

If you loved learning about this incredible astronomical milestone, please subscribe

to the Astronomy Tonight podcast, so you never miss another cosmic discovery.

For more detailed information about Uringus, Tonight Sky, or any other astronomical wonders,

check out Quiet Please.

I.A.I.

Thank you for joining us for another Quiet Please production.