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We Need to Save Ignorance From AI The Trouble with Theories of Everything The Strange Brain of the World's Greatest Solo Climber Why You Feel the Urge to Jump Resume Reading -- The Planets with the Giant Diamonds Inside Close Nautilus Matter Astronomy The Planets with the Giant Diamonds Inside Mining the mysteries of Uranus and Neptune. Corey S. Powell By Corey S. Powell July 7, 2021 * Add a comment * Facebook * Twitter * Email * Sharing * Reddit * Stumbleupon * Tumblr * Pocket On the dark night of March 13, 1781, William Herschel settled down in his garden observatory in Bath, England, for a routine night...By Corey S. Powell On the dark night of March 13, 1781, William Herschel settled down in his garden observatory in Bath, England, for a routine night of observing stars, when he noticed something out of place in the heavens. Through the eyepiece of his homemade 7-foot telescope, he spied an interloper in the constellation Gemini: "a curious, either nebulous star or perhaps a comet," as he recorded it. For weeks, he stalked the unknown object, monitoring its steady appearance and circular path around the sun until there could be no doubt about its true identity. He had discovered not a comet but a new planet, far more distant than any of the others. Being a politically astute fellow, Herschel proposed naming the planet Georgium Sidus, or "George's star," in honor of King George III. The ploy worked--he promptly was named the king's astronomer and received a royal stipend--but his colleagues outside of England objected. They wanted a noble and politically neutral name like Urania, the Greek muse of astronomy. In the end, scientists settled on the even more dignified "Uranus," the ancient Greek god of the sky and ancestor of the other deities. Centuries of snickering ensued. [Prime_paywall_2-733x200px] You've read all of your 2 free monthly articles. Join the Club It's expensive to produce the kind of high quality, in-depth journalism you've come to expect from Nautilus. In order to keep telling those stories, we need your support. Join Prime today, and help us keep science journalism alive. Prime gets you unlimited, ad-free reading, tablet editions of our award-winning print magazine, and eBooks of all our online editions. Learn More Members Sign In Current print subscriber? You're already a Prime member. Sign in. Special Issue Hidden Truths Explore This Issue * Chapter five The Skies + Powell_THUMB Astronomy The Planets with the Giant Diamonds Inside + Anathaswamy_THUMB Neuroscience Psychedelics Open a New Window on the Mechanisms of Perception + MacNamara_THUMB Evolution T. Rex Was a Slacker Join the Discussion Next Article: Anathaswamy_THUMB Biology Psychedelics Open a New Window on the Mechanisms of Perception By Anil Ananthaswamy Related Articles: * [6269_cc9b3c69b56df284846bf2432f] Biology Will ET Drink Water? By Philip Ball * Gallagher_THUMB Matter The Endless Storm Over Jupiter By Brian Gallagher * Preview Powell_THUMB Matter The Madness of the Planets By Corey S. Powell [Prime_payw] Nautilus uses cookies to manage your digital subscription and show you your reading progress. It's just not the same without them. Please sign in to Nautilus Prime or turn your cookies on to continue reading. Thank you! * About * Awards and Press * Contact / Work with Us * Donate * FAQ * Media Kit * Prime * Privacy Policy * RSS * Subscribe * Terms of Services NAUTILUS: SCIENCE CONNECTED Nautilus is a different kind of science magazine. We deliver big-picture science by reporting on a single monthly topic from multiple perspectives. 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