george harper-styx and stones maybe charon too冥河石头也许还有.pdfVIP

StyxandStones,MaybeCharonToo-AnalogNov73

GeorgeHarper

In1766theGermanmathematician,JohannTitius,wroteabrieffootnotetoabookonnaturalphilosophy

hewastranslatingfromtheFrench.Thebookitselfislongforgottensaveforafewscholars,butthe

footnotehasledalivelycareer.AstranslatedbyStanleyL.JakiofSetonHallUniversity,itreads:

“DividethedistancefromthesuntoSaturninto100parts;thenMercuryisseparatedinto4suchparts

fromthesun;Venusby4+3=7suchparts;theEarthby4+6=10;Marsby4+12=16.Butnotice

thatfromMarstoJupitertherecomesadeviationfromthiactprogression.AfterMarstherefollowsa

distanceof4+24=28parts,butsofarnoplanetorsatellitehasbeenfoundthere…Letusassumethat

thisspacewithoutadoubtbelongstothestillundiscoveredsatellitesofMars…Nexttothisforusstill

unexploredspacethererisesJupiter’ssphereofinfluenceat4+48=52parts;andthatofSaturnat4+

96=100.”

NorwasthisthefirstpredictionofaplanetbetweenMarsandJupiter.Nearlytwocenturiesearlier,

around1595,JohannesKeplerpennedtheunambiguoussentence:InterJovemetMortemplanetum

in-terposui,or“BetweenJupiterandMarsIinterposeaplanet.”

Eitherway,themathematicalrelationshipexpressedbyTitiusandthepredictionbyKeplerremained

curiositiesuntilthesummerof1781,whenWilliamHerschelproclaimedanewplanetinthefirmament,a

planetwhichhenamed“GeorgiumSidus”inhonorofmadKingGeorgeIII,ofRevolutionaryWarfame.

WiththisdiscoveryitwasquicklyrealizedthenewplanetfittedneatlyintothenextintervaloftheTitius

Rule,at4+192=196.

Herschel’sdiscoveryrefocusedattentionontheTitiusRuleandally,onarathernastybut

unfortunatelysomewhattypicalsituationwhichhadarisenduringtheprevious15years.Thepreeminent

Germanastronomerofthetime,oneJohannBode,had