Uranus is doubtless the most oddly named planet in our Solar System , but things could have been worse . After all , being the only Grecian god in a sky full of Romans is one affair ; sound like a butt is another ; but a planet calledGeorgewould just be ridiculous .
Still , that ’s what we almost had . Yes , really .
The discovery of Planet George
In March 1781 , in Bath , England , the stargazer William Herschel became the first mortal to recognise what we now call Uranus as a satellite . It was a history - making discovery in multiple mode : most notably , it was the first planet discovered with the function of a telescope – while it can be seen with the naked eye , it ’s too dim and slow - moving for earlier observer to have recognized it as a planet rather than a distant star .
It also about doubled the size of the known Solar System – and set up the argument for potential planets even further out . “ Psychologically , the case for the orbit of Saturn representing the outmost boundary of the influence of the Sun had been compelling prior to 1781 , since no new planets had ever been discovered , even follow 150 years of telescopic reflection , ” wrote Chris Linton , Professor of Applied Mathematics at Loughborough University , in his 2004 bookFrom Eudoxus to Einstein : A History of Mathematical Astronomy .
“ But if there were more planets than those visible with the bare oculus , why only one ? ” he explained . “ The possibleness that there were more planets expect to be give away had to be taken seriously . ”
Perhaps the most substantial modification brought by Herschel ’s discovery , though , was for Herschel himself . In recognition of his achievement , the then - King , George III – the “ mad ” one who lose the Americas – repay him with a healthy pension . It was enough for the unskilled astronomer to go full - time , at long last “ transform[ing ] the starry heavens from a stable backdrop [ … ] into a huge dynamic part in whichstars evolvedfromclouds of nebulous cloth , ” Linton wrote . “ In so doing he became the groundbreaker of modernsidereal astronomy . ”
Naming rights
It was an unpopular conclusion for a few ground . First of all , Uranus isnota wizard – in fact , that was kind of the whole intellect Herschel ’s discovery was important . But more significantly , George III ’s repute outside of Britain was not what you ’d call universally irrefutable : in the new United States , he was regard as a tyrant ; meanwhile “ the French , preferring to debar any character to the crowned head who still claim the French throne in pretense , called the aim ‘ Herschel ’ at the suggestion of Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande , who wished to honour the discoverer , ” explain uranologist John C Barentine in his 2015 bookThe Lost constellation : A History of Obsolete , Extinct , Or Forgotten Star Lore .
Other scientist weighed in with suggestion : “ The Swedish stargazer Erik Prosperin [ … ] proposed ‘ Neptune , ’ which assure some popular support , ” Barentine noted – deserving pointing out that the existent Neptune had n’t yet been expose , so this would n’t have been as perplexing as it sounds – while the Swiss mathematician Johann Bernoulli favored “ Hypercronius ” , meaning “ above Saturn ” . Still , others declare oneself “ Cybele ” , in computer address to Saturn ’s married woman , or “ Oceanus ” , after themythological river surrounding the Earth .
finally , it was the German uranologist Johann Bode ’s suggestion of Uranus – Saturn ’s father , and thus Jupiter ’s grandpa , in Greco - papist mythology – that took off . By right hand , it should have been “ Caelus ” , in keeping with the fully Roman wandering pantheon , but for whatever ground , Bode wasreallyinto Uranus : he construct a elaborate headliner single-valued function that he titledUranographiain 1801 , and would later barrack his colleague Martin Klaproth to name his new discovered element “ U ” .
Herschel , however , was n’t too impressed with the name . While there ’s no grounds to the title that he responded to the moniker with the derisive “ Uranus ? Mein Arsch ” , he “ always consult to it as the ‘ Georgian planet ’ , ” Linton wrote , “ and this is how it was know in Britain for many years . ”
And when we say “ many long time ” , we ’re talking … alotlonger than you might be thinking . As belatedly as the mid-19th hundred , the UK ’s Royal Nautical Almanac Office was still holding out hope that “ Planet George ” might catch on – eventually giving up and take the name Uranus only in 1850 .
A note on pronunciation
So , ultimately , we were robbed of a satellite describe George – but at least we got a ton of fun cosmological puns in return . But on that banknote – just howdoyou pronounce Uranus in any case ?
“ In most linguistic communication , it ’s not really an issue , ” noted The Planetary Society ’s Planetary Report inSeptember 2022 . “ In English , however , the popular pronunciation ‘ your - AY - nuss ’ provide all - too - fat ground for trick and be given to deflect from the loftiness and dignity of the satellite itself . ”
“ But there is a vulgar option : ‘ YOOR - un - us ’ , ” the article added . “ This is how you ’ll typically try it pronounce by scientists , and it ’s the pronunciation that NASA officially endorses . ”
It ’s less rummy , and therefore arguably less distracting – but is it less right ? Well , the deity that the planet is list after was technically not “ Uranus ” , but “ Ouranos ” – or in the original Ancient Greek , Οὐρανός . And woefully for proponents of either English pronunciation , that sounds kind of like “ oo - rah - NOSS ” more than any play on words about butts or peeing .
So , next time some snot-nosed scientist tell you off for laughing at the name of the seventh planet , feel free to inform them that their orthoepy is just as misleading . And , after all , the planet’srealname is George in any case .
