ASTR 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Clyde Tombaugh, Serendipity
29 Oct 2016
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Uranus" orbit was just the way newton suggested. But as decades passed, orbit was not exactly the way newton said. Uranus" orbit was affected by yet another object"s gravity. Uranus sped up and slowed down at times. When uranus is behind neptune, it would pull uranus faster. When uranus is ahead of neptune, it would slow uranus down. Halley persuaded newton to publish his work. Noticed a comet returned every 76 years. Not like orbit of planet, long elliptical orbit. Explained newton"s gravity is applicable to long elliptical orbits. Neptune and uranus is still not acting exactly as predicted; must be another planet! Clyde tombaugh discovered pluto (through photographs; saw change in motion of a single circle) Blinked photographs to see differences between them. Not like other planets; orbit is tipped and eccentric. Small and low in mass; can"t affect the orbits of neptune and uranus. Planetary orbits of pluto had no problems at all.
