1 00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:04,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to steph you missed in history class from how 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy Wilson, and I have 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: to confess up front that UM and I might offend 5 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: people by saying this a little bit. The impetus for 6 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:28,160 Speaker 1: this episode is because I can get a little cranky 7 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 1: and fussy about people who are still campaigning to get 8 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 1: Pluto back as a planet. Yeah, doesn't have feelings. I 9 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 1: don't think people do. Is personally hurt by having been 10 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 1: no longer well, and some of it for me, it's 11 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,959 Speaker 1: just that like there are there are rules and reasons. 12 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:52,599 Speaker 1: There's still a debate that can certainly happen, but there 13 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 1: are rules and reasons, and it it's explained why it 14 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: was made a dwarf planet, and people will come back 15 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: and say it shouldn't matter that it's small. It's still 16 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: a planet, and it's like, hey, that doesn't have anything 17 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: to do with it. So, but we're not talking about Pluto. 18 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 1: We've done that before. But instead we're going to talk 19 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: about some other heavenly bodies that had a similar kind 20 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: of uh discovery misclassification shift. It's kind of you know, 21 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: I wanted to talk about how like our our knowledge 22 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: and our what we believe to be true, and how 23 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: we lay out our knowledge of the universe, and the 24 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:32,959 Speaker 1: Solar System specifically changes all the time based on new information. 25 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: So in eighteen hundred there were only seven known planets 26 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: in the Solar System, and at that point it was Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, 27 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,400 Speaker 1: and Uranus. Wondering if there might be a planet in 28 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 1: between Mars and Jupiter had really taken up headspace for 29 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:52,279 Speaker 1: a lot of astronomers up to that point. Once Uranus 30 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 1: was discovered in seventy one by Sir William Herschel, it 31 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: validated a theory that indicated that there should be sort 32 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: of regular space seeing between the orbital ellipses of planets, 33 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 1: and this gave astronomers even stronger conviction that there must 34 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: be a planet there in that swath of space between 35 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: Mars's orbit and Jupiter's orbit, but no one had identified 36 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: a planet there. Uh. Johannes Kepler even theorized about a 37 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 1: planet in that gap between those two planets in fix 38 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: in his work Mysterium Cosmographicum, and he actually hinted that 39 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,919 Speaker 1: there would be more than one they're writing quote. Yet 40 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 1: the interposition of a single planet was not sufficient for 41 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: the huge gap between Jupiter and Mars. Plenty of astronomers 42 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,079 Speaker 1: dedicated huge chunks of their careers to try to find 43 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: this elusive planet that they felt absolutely must be lurking 44 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 1: in that empty swath of space, but to no avail. 45 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: But eventually an Italian astronomer who was really a mathematician 46 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: found something. And today we're going to talk about the 47 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: celestial object series, the man who spotted in, what it is, 48 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: what it's been in terms of nomenclature, and how science shifts, 49 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 1: it shifts it's thinking as new information is uncovered. To 50 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:08,920 Speaker 1: talk about series, we're going to talk a little bit 51 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: about Giuseppe Piazzi. He was born on July sixteenth, seventeen 52 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 1: forty six, so we are coming up on his birthday. 53 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: He was one of ten sons, and his parents, who 54 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: lived in Ponti in Baltalina in the north of Italy, 55 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 1: were really well off financially because many of his siblings 56 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: had died when they were still very young. Giseppe was 57 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 1: baptized in a very quick home ceremony, with the official 58 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: record quote because of impending danger of death, and though 59 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,119 Speaker 1: his parents had been fearful of his health, Giuseppe grew 60 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: to adulthood and at the age of nineteen, as was 61 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:49,360 Speaker 1: often customary for wealthy sons, he took holy orders to 62 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: become a priest, and he pursued a number of academic 63 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: studies and eventually, starting in seventeen seventy, at the request 64 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: of the church, he began teaching philosophy and mathematics as 65 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: a touring lecturer throughout Italy. In seventeen eighty one, he 66 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,280 Speaker 1: became the chair of mathematics at a new educational institution 67 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: that would eventually become the University of Palermo. Six years later, 68 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 1: he was named chair of astronomy at the school. This 69 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:18,479 Speaker 1: is an interesting move because he hadn't really been a 70 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:21,840 Speaker 1: studying astronomy for that all that long, but he was 71 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 1: a really devoted scholar, and astronomy would eventually become the 72 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 1: thing that he was known for. In early seventeen eighty seven, 73 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: the same year that he was named chair of astronomy, 74 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:37,599 Speaker 1: Piazza began an intensive three year study trip so that 75 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:41,039 Speaker 1: he could really become as familiar with astronomy as he could, 76 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 1: and during that time, he spent time in Paris and London, 77 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: and he became the colleague and friend of astronomers in 78 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: both of those cities. It was because of these connections 79 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: and the study that he was able to secure a 80 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: five foot circular scale altesimus telescope that would become a 81 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: crucial component of the observatory that he had been tasked 82 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:02,920 Speaker 1: with build ing at the University. That telescope was made 83 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:07,520 Speaker 1: in London by mathematician and astronomical instrument specialist Jesse Ramsden. 84 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 1: When Piazzy returned to Palermo at the end of seventeen 85 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 1: eighty nine, he focused entirely on the construction of the observatory, 86 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 1: and it was only a matter of months before it 87 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:21,919 Speaker 1: was completed. It was built on top of a tower 88 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: at the Royal Palace. With his new observatory completed and 89 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:31,840 Speaker 1: this impressive telescope telescope installed, Justessette set to work making observations, 90 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 1: focusing primarily on accurately mapping the positions of stars, and 91 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:41,320 Speaker 1: this mapping effort was truly painstaking. Each star had to 92 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: be observed for a minimum of four nights, and this 93 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 1: had to be done for each observable star. This work 94 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 1: would eventually culminate in the publication of a star catalog 95 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 1: in eighteen o three, which one Piazza an array of accolades. 96 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: But while he was mapping all those stars, he stumbled 97 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:02,159 Speaker 1: across something else entirely. So it's a little early normally 98 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: for a break for a sponsor, but we want to 99 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: keep this next section altogether, So we're gonna pause here 100 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 1: and have a little sponsor break, and then we will 101 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 1: come back and talk about what it was that Piazzi 102 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: stumbled upon. On New Year's Day eighteen o one, Piazzy 103 00:06:23,200 --> 00:06:27,280 Speaker 1: noticed a tiny dot in the heavens, specifically in the 104 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: shoulder of the Taurus constellation, as was his method. He 105 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:35,280 Speaker 1: observed it again the following night, and it had moved. 106 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: After two more nights of observation, he thought he might 107 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,920 Speaker 1: have identified something new, which might perhaps be a comment, 108 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 1: so we contacted the press. Yeah, that was customary. It 109 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 1: wasn't like he was a glory hound. It was just 110 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: something you did. You reported that you had maybe found something. 111 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: So I'm imagining that as he was doing this, he 112 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 1: was he was measuring all the stars at like the 113 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:03,240 Speaker 1: same time time every night, because they moved anyway, Yeah, 114 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 1: he was mapping them throughout the course of the night. Okay, 115 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 1: so that's why they would each to get four nights observation. Uh. 116 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: And as this story hit the papers and the news spread, 117 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: other astronomers, of course started taking notice. But for his part, 118 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: Piazzi was a little reluctant to put a label on 119 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: his observation. He still was not confident about exactly what 120 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:29,240 Speaker 1: it was. In late January, he wrote a letter to 121 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:31,600 Speaker 1: his best friend in Milan about the discovery, and he 122 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:36,920 Speaker 1: voiced his uncertainty and excitement all at once. Just here's 123 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 1: what he said. I've announced this star as a comet, 124 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 1: but since it shows no nebulosity, and moreover, since it 125 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 1: had a slow and rather uniform motion, I surmised that 126 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 1: it could be something better than a comet. However, I 127 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: would not buy any means advanced publicly this conjecture. As 128 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: soon as I shall have a larger number of observations, 129 00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 1: I will try to compute its elements. And in fact, 130 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:04,280 Speaker 1: a second letter that he wrote the very same time, 131 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: but to another colleague, also in Milan, is a little different. 132 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:11,680 Speaker 1: He indicated in that letter with more certain language, that 133 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 1: he felt that his observed object was a comet. And 134 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 1: this inconsistency as to whether it might be a planet 135 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: or whether it certainly was a comment was noted by 136 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 1: the two recipients, who knew each other. They basically gossiped 137 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: about their comment letter well, and in the writings about it, 138 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:33,439 Speaker 1: the one that he wrote to and said it was 139 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:36,320 Speaker 1: a comet seemed almost peeved that he hadn't shared the 140 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: possibility that it could be a planet like he seemed 141 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:41,199 Speaker 1: kind of offended at how he had been left out 142 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 1: of the loop. So to further complicate matters, Piazzi became 143 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 1: ill after his first forty one days of observation and 144 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 1: his study of this new object had to be halted. 145 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:55,960 Speaker 1: Then the son's halo made it impossible to see for 146 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:58,680 Speaker 1: a while. Piazzi's colleagues had to use the data he 147 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:01,479 Speaker 1: had collected up to that point to try to calculate 148 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: where the planet would appear again once it would become 149 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: observable again, and eventually it was the young German uh 150 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:12,959 Speaker 1: Carl Friedrich Gauss, who was only twenty four at the time, 151 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:17,040 Speaker 1: who devised a calculation method that correctly located piazz has 152 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 1: lost planet or comments. As the public interest group people 153 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 1: started asking astronomers about Piazzi's discovery. This actually led to 154 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 1: some interesting cattiness regarding what to name it. When Johann 155 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,920 Speaker 1: elert Bode spoke to the Prussian Academy and in the 156 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:36,839 Speaker 1: press at Easter just a few months after Piazzy had 157 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:41,840 Speaker 1: made his first observation, he declared the discovery of a 158 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: new planet, this really being Piazzi's discovery, not his own, 159 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:50,600 Speaker 1: which he called. Juno astronomer of Baron Franz Zavit von Zak, 160 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: who will talk about more in just a moment, called 161 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 1: it Harra. And Piazzi had actually named his discovery series Ferdinandea, 162 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 1: after the Roman goddess of agriculture, that's the series portion 163 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 1: and the patron goddess of Sicily as well, series was 164 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:08,640 Speaker 1: Uh and King Ferdinand of Bourbon. And he was not 165 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: too pleased about the other names being spouted by other astronomers, 166 00:10:12,559 --> 00:10:14,680 Speaker 1: and in a letter to a colleague in August of 167 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: eighteen o one, he said, quote, if the Germans think 168 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:20,080 Speaker 1: they have the right to name somebody else's discoveries, they 169 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 1: can call my new star the way they like. As 170 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 1: for me, I will always keep it the name of Surer, 171 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:27,719 Speaker 1: and I will be very obliged if you and your 172 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: colleagues will do the same. Like the Bone Wars. We 173 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:36,880 Speaker 1: already have that an archive from past hosts if you 174 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:40,960 Speaker 1: want to hear about it. Yeah. The name Series was 175 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:46,480 Speaker 1: eventually acknowledged throughout the astronomical community, although the Ferdinandia was 176 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:50,640 Speaker 1: dropped largely because it made the name terribly long. And 177 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:53,400 Speaker 1: as for the nature of Series, by mid eighteen o two, 178 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 1: after another astronomer had observed it and its orbit had 179 00:10:56,880 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 1: been tracked, was fairly settled to most that it was 180 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:02,480 Speaker 1: in need a planet and not a comet. It wasn't 181 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:05,599 Speaker 1: entirely settled. There were some people who doubted it entirely, 182 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:09,360 Speaker 1: and when Piazzy rewrote his observations in a new edition 183 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:15,199 Speaker 1: with different data, it caused quite a stir. Von Zac wrote, quote, 184 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:19,079 Speaker 1: what is going on with Series Fernandia? Nothing has been 185 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:22,000 Speaker 1: found as yet, either in France or Germany. People's are 186 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 1: starting to doubt Already skeptics are making jokes about it. 187 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 1: What is devil Piazzy doing? I love finding out how 188 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:36,720 Speaker 1: catty this whole, this whole group of scientists was. They're 189 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 1: so often so catty. Uh. Piazzi's full findings with all 190 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:45,559 Speaker 1: of the updated data were published in September of eighteen 191 00:11:45,559 --> 00:11:48,640 Speaker 1: o two, and while Series was obviously much smaller than 192 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:52,120 Speaker 1: any planet identified up to that point, astronomers were still 193 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: categorizing it as a new planet, and finding a new 194 00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 1: planet was a really important event at this juncture in history. 195 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:01,640 Speaker 1: Uh And in the wake of the publishing there was 196 00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:05,120 Speaker 1: this flurry of activity as other astronomers analyzed the data 197 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:08,280 Speaker 1: and calculated the orbit of Series and hashed out any 198 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 1: and all details, and they were ever debating the merit 199 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:14,560 Speaker 1: of Piazzi's work, and Piazza himself was busy working on 200 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:19,080 Speaker 1: other responsible abilities at the university. However, he also maddened 201 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:23,240 Speaker 1: the astronomical community by continually and casually referring to Series 202 00:12:23,559 --> 00:12:26,640 Speaker 1: as a star or a comet sometimes rather than a planet. 203 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: There's actually a funny bit of coincidence around Piazzi discovering Series, because, 204 00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 1: as we mentioned earlier, there were other astronomers who were 205 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:38,720 Speaker 1: really focused on looking for this planet they thought must 206 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 1: be in the region of space him then by the 207 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: orbits of Jupiter and Mars. One of them a German 208 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:49,120 Speaker 1: Hungarian astronomer named Baron Franz Zabra von Zach who we 209 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:53,319 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier had determined what was that what was needed 210 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 1: was a collective effort, So von Zak invited most of 211 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,920 Speaker 1: the prominent astronomers of the day to be to this project, 212 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:04,400 Speaker 1: and this group became known as the Celestial Police. They 213 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:08,600 Speaker 1: each patrolled for to keep with the policing metaphor, a 214 00:13:08,679 --> 00:13:11,800 Speaker 1: designated section of the heavens in search of the missing planet, 215 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:15,400 Speaker 1: and eventually Piazzy was invited to be part of the team, 216 00:13:15,559 --> 00:13:19,079 Speaker 1: but it appears that the invitation, which was relayed through 217 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:22,960 Speaker 1: a letter written to another colleague, was actually dated after 218 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 1: Giuseppe Piazzy had found Series already, and moreover, Piazzy never 219 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:32,240 Speaker 1: received that invitation, So there is some speculation, given the 220 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:34,680 Speaker 1: evidence of how Caddie all of these dudes could be, 221 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:40,680 Speaker 1: that they were trying to kind of like loop him 222 00:13:40,679 --> 00:13:43,320 Speaker 1: into their crowd so that they could all share some 223 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:47,959 Speaker 1: of the glory of having found it after the fact. No, 224 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:50,640 Speaker 1: we totally we invited him to be part of our group. 225 00:13:50,679 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: You got guys, it sounds like middle school really does. 226 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 1: When a new element was found in eighteen o three, 227 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:02,640 Speaker 1: it was named Serrium and attribute to Series. This was 228 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:07,120 Speaker 1: definitely a time of series fever and The practice of 229 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 1: naming elements after recently discovered planets has happened several times. Uranium, neptunium, 230 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:17,680 Speaker 1: and plutonium are all named for planets as well. Because 231 00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:20,280 Speaker 1: Series was so small in comparison to any of the 232 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:23,600 Speaker 1: other known planets, it eventually was sort of classified as 233 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:27,040 Speaker 1: a minor planet, and the search for another planet between 234 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:31,920 Speaker 1: Mars and Jupiter that might perhaps have greater mass uh continued. 235 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:35,600 Speaker 1: It was spurred on, in fact, by Piazzy's find So 236 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:38,720 Speaker 1: not long after the Series discovery, and over a period 237 00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 1: of six years, three other planets were discovered in that 238 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:44,800 Speaker 1: same band of space. So that's right. There's a time 239 00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:48,600 Speaker 1: that was believed that we had four entire planets between 240 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:53,960 Speaker 1: Mars and Jupiter, and the first of these was initially 241 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:56,880 Speaker 1: observed on March eighteen o two, so that was even 242 00:14:56,920 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 1: before Piazzy had published his final data on Series, and 243 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:05,200 Speaker 1: that was identified by Wilhelm Olbers and he saw something 244 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:07,600 Speaker 1: in the wing of the Virgo constellation that he had 245 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: not observed prior, and after two days of observation of 246 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,360 Speaker 1: this object, he was convinced it was a planet, and 247 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:18,000 Speaker 1: he named it Palace. Other astronomers were also pretty quickly convinced, 248 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,360 Speaker 1: and it made them even more certain that there might 249 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 1: be yet other planets in that Mars Jupiter gap. On 250 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:27,000 Speaker 1: September one, st eight, you know, for Carl Ludwig Harding 251 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:30,760 Speaker 1: spotted the next planet at the intersection of the orbits 252 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:33,200 Speaker 1: of Series and Palace, and this one was called Juno. 253 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:37,120 Speaker 1: Willelm Olbers once again had the honor of discovering the 254 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:41,000 Speaker 1: fourth new planet of the nineteenth century, Vesta, on March 255 00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:46,480 Speaker 1: twenty eighteen O seven. Palace, Juno, Investa were all smaller 256 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:50,480 Speaker 1: than Series, so they too were considered minor planets. But 257 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:53,040 Speaker 1: of course, if you crack open any current textbook that 258 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:56,640 Speaker 1: features our Solar system, none of these objects are listed 259 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:59,760 Speaker 1: as planets at all. So you may be wondering what happened, 260 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:02,360 Speaker 1: And we're going to talk about how Series and its 261 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:06,080 Speaker 1: siblings ceased to be classified as planets, whether minor or not. 262 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:08,840 Speaker 1: Right after we pause once again for a quick word 263 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:18,840 Speaker 1: from one of our sponsors to get back to what 264 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:22,720 Speaker 1: happened the Series. Slowly, the realization was made the Series 265 00:16:22,760 --> 00:16:26,040 Speaker 1: and its neighbors where maybe not actually planets after all. 266 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:31,120 Speaker 1: When a fifth body named Austraia was discovered in five 267 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:34,840 Speaker 1: by kale Hanky it was classified as an asteroid. The 268 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:38,040 Speaker 1: term asteroid had actually been used by William Herschel as 269 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:43,040 Speaker 1: a proposed classifier when Palace was first found. But the 270 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:46,680 Speaker 1: discovery of the asteroid Australia really started a shift in 271 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 1: thinking about the four previous discoveries that had happened in 272 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:54,280 Speaker 1: that belt. And soon more and more asteroids were identified 273 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:57,040 Speaker 1: in that same area where all of these objects were 274 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 1: existing together. Soon more and more asteroids were identified in 275 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:05,199 Speaker 1: that same area where all of these objects existed, and 276 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,200 Speaker 1: eventually it dawned on people that what was actually there 277 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 1: was an asteroid belt. So to talk about how Series 278 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: and all these other asteroids came from, we have to 279 00:17:16,840 --> 00:17:21,320 Speaker 1: go way way way back four point six billion years. 280 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:26,400 Speaker 1: At that point, a disc shaped dust and gas cloud 281 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:30,920 Speaker 1: was around our still forming Sun. So that's the solar nebula, 282 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:37,800 Speaker 1: slowly leading to the formation of planets within that cloud. Yes, 283 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:40,679 Speaker 1: so as some particles would bump into each other, they 284 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:42,760 Speaker 1: would stick to one another, and then they would collide 285 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:46,400 Speaker 1: with more particles and form progressively larger and larger clumps, 286 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 1: eventually growing large enough that these clumps would develop gravitational 287 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:54,919 Speaker 1: pull and then attract more mass to them, but not 288 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:59,280 Speaker 1: all gravity bearing clumps are created equal, some grow larger 289 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:03,160 Speaker 1: than others. Once Jupiter developed, it's highly likely that its 290 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:06,639 Speaker 1: gravity was so great that it just dominated the material 291 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:11,160 Speaker 1: attraction game in that part of the Solar nebula. So Jupiter, 292 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:15,280 Speaker 1: with its massive size, rob Series and other objects of 293 00:18:15,359 --> 00:18:19,679 Speaker 1: the chance to grow into full sized planets. That asteroid 294 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:22,520 Speaker 1: belt that Series is part of is sometimes just sometimes 295 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:26,240 Speaker 1: described as that missing planet between Mars and Jupiter that 296 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:31,120 Speaker 1: just couldn't pull itself together into one cohesive body because 297 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:37,240 Speaker 1: of Jupiter's incredible gravitational pull. That's selfish and jerk Jupiter. No, 298 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:39,560 Speaker 1: I'm don't write me hate mail because you love Jupiter. 299 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 1: I love it too, But it did cost the opportunity 300 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:49,640 Speaker 1: of Series and other objects UH from forming into bigger objects. 301 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:53,040 Speaker 1: So the diameter of Series and its equator, it's about 302 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:56,520 Speaker 1: six hundred and five miles or nine seventy kilometers, and 303 00:18:56,560 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 1: its surface area is equivalent to about thirty eight percent 304 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:02,679 Speaker 1: United States. So if you could unwrap the surface of 305 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:05,359 Speaker 1: Series and lay it out on a map of the US, 306 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,879 Speaker 1: that's how you would get that percentage number. As to 307 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:11,919 Speaker 1: why this is not a planet, the requirements for a 308 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:15,200 Speaker 1: heavenly body to be classified as a planet, as formally 309 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:18,639 Speaker 1: determined by the International Astronomical Union in two thousand and 310 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:23,959 Speaker 1: six are as follows a planet, There's a celestial body 311 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,680 Speaker 1: that is in orbit around the Sun, has sufficient mass 312 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:31,639 Speaker 1: for its self gravity to overcome rigid body forces so 313 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:36,199 Speaker 1: that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium, which means nearly round shape, 314 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:41,080 Speaker 1: and it has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit. And 315 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:44,280 Speaker 1: these are the same requirements you may recall that Pluto 316 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:46,760 Speaker 1: was not able to meet and so got demoted to 317 00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:50,879 Speaker 1: dwarf planet. Series does not clear the neighborhood around its orbit. 318 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: So while it's particularly unusual in comparison to other asteroids 319 00:19:55,359 --> 00:19:58,679 Speaker 1: in one case because it is so round compared to others, 320 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: still no die us on planethood. We should mention though, 321 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:05,520 Speaker 1: that when the argument about Pluto's stand status as a 322 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:08,680 Speaker 1: planet or not was still in play, it briefly brought 323 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:12,680 Speaker 1: up the possibility of reclassifying Series as a planet once again. 324 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:17,200 Speaker 1: But even though it's not a planet but a dwarf planet, 325 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:20,320 Speaker 1: Series is still the dominant feature of the asteroid belt. 326 00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:23,000 Speaker 1: It's a lot larger than anything else in the belt. 327 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:27,719 Speaker 1: By a significant margin. Series contains approximately thirty of the 328 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:32,040 Speaker 1: total mass found in the asteroid belt. That's a lot 329 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:36,000 Speaker 1: if you think about all of that stuff floating in 330 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:39,480 Speaker 1: the asteroid belt, of it is all concentrated in Series. 331 00:20:39,920 --> 00:20:44,480 Speaker 1: On September two thousand seven, NASA's Dawn mission, which was 332 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:47,679 Speaker 1: read led by the Jet Propulsion Lab at California, launched 333 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:51,159 Speaker 1: a spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and 334 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:57,400 Speaker 1: its destinations that's destination's plural, VESTA and Series. After spending 335 00:20:57,400 --> 00:20:59,480 Speaker 1: some time with VESTA in terms of a year in 336 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:03,000 Speaker 1: a few months, Dawn arrived at the series in early March. 337 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:07,600 Speaker 1: That made it the first spacecraft to orbit two extraterrestrial 338 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 1: targets as well as the first to orbit an asteroid. Yeah. 339 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:13,480 Speaker 1: That's sort of one of the cool things in all 340 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:14,920 Speaker 1: of this and one of the things that I love 341 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:18,960 Speaker 1: particularly about spaces that we're watching history be made all 342 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:21,919 Speaker 1: the time, which is really cool. Uh. And you may 343 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:25,120 Speaker 1: be wondering why it would be so important to study Series. 344 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:28,520 Speaker 1: As we mentioned earlier, it was likely on its way 345 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:31,440 Speaker 1: to becoming a planet before Jupiter mucked that whole thing up, 346 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:35,159 Speaker 1: so it's considered a proto planet. And by studying proto 347 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:37,840 Speaker 1: planets we have the potential to discover all kinds of 348 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:41,200 Speaker 1: things about planetary development and as a consequence, our own 349 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:44,000 Speaker 1: planet Earth. It's like traveling back in time and looking 350 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,719 Speaker 1: at history sort of in an arrested state. This is 351 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:50,960 Speaker 1: like the space version of the Island of Curtsey that 352 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:54,840 Speaker 1: we talked about in our Hamming episode. That like it's 353 00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:58,359 Speaker 1: been protected since it was farmed, so scientists can study 354 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:02,400 Speaker 1: like how islands get plants and animals living on them. 355 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 1: It's like that boot space and without plants and animals 356 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:13,640 Speaker 1: living on it that we know of. As we mentioned earlier, 357 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:17,000 Speaker 1: Series is the Roman goddess of harvests, so the naming 358 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:20,280 Speaker 1: convention for the features of series discovered by the Dawn 359 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:23,719 Speaker 1: Mission follows that theme, with gods and goddesses, vegetation, and 360 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:28,840 Speaker 1: festivals related to agriculture serving uh as the well of 361 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:32,560 Speaker 1: the options for naming things on it and thanks to 362 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:35,119 Speaker 1: the Dawn Project, we now know a lot more about 363 00:22:35,119 --> 00:22:37,680 Speaker 1: series than we did just a few years ago. It's 364 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:40,359 Speaker 1: covered with shallow craters, which we didn't know. It appears 365 00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:43,400 Speaker 1: to have water ice on its surface. There are numerous 366 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:46,920 Speaker 1: bright spots on the dwarf planet surface, likely a substance 367 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:50,320 Speaker 1: such as ice or salt that's reflecting light. Dawn has 368 00:22:50,359 --> 00:22:54,159 Speaker 1: now photographed of the surface with the resolution of a 369 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:58,400 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty feet or thirty five ms per pixel. Yeah, 370 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,120 Speaker 1: and I didn't put the exact where that far exceed 371 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:05,280 Speaker 1: exceeds the projected goal for Series. I think the goal 372 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:09,159 Speaker 1: was to photograph approximately eight percent of the planet's surface. 373 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:13,920 Speaker 1: So the Dawn mission has really exceeded all expectations. It's 374 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:17,359 Speaker 1: been quite amazing, uh, and kind of in line with that. 375 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:21,000 Speaker 1: The Dawn spacecraft was originally intended to remain a satellite 376 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:24,240 Speaker 1: of Series indefinitely once the mission had ended. In the 377 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:26,680 Speaker 1: time since it arrived at Series, it's performed more than 378 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:30,280 Speaker 1: one thousand orbits and it is extremely stable there. But 379 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:33,480 Speaker 1: quite recently, in April of this year, so seen, a 380 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:38,000 Speaker 1: new proposal was submitted to extend Dawn's mission. A team 381 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:41,919 Speaker 1: from University of California at Los Angeles, headed by Chris Russell, 382 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:45,440 Speaker 1: would like for Series to visit yet another object rather 383 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:48,080 Speaker 1: than just be parked in orbit. As of this recording, 384 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:49,920 Speaker 1: I could not find any news on a decision one 385 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:52,480 Speaker 1: way or another, but there could be a whole another 386 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:54,800 Speaker 1: phase of life for this really cool mission, which is 387 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 1: exploring this really cool dwarf planet that we once thought 388 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:02,600 Speaker 1: was a planet and now is not. And thankfully enough 389 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:04,520 Speaker 1: time has passed that the sour grapes that may have 390 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:08,959 Speaker 1: existed over that demotion are completely died down. And I 391 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:10,600 Speaker 1: can't wait for that to be the case with Pluto 392 00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:18,600 Speaker 1: as well. Do you also have some listener mail? I 393 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:21,480 Speaker 1: am now that I've done pushing my Pluto as a 394 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:26,359 Speaker 1: dwarf planet, and that's fine agenda. Um. So I have 395 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:31,560 Speaker 1: two wonderful postcards from our listener, Jennifer and her dad. 396 00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:36,560 Speaker 1: They are traveling through France, and the first one is Hi, ladies, 397 00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:39,040 Speaker 1: my dad and I are at Arles, France today, home 398 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:41,840 Speaker 1: of many of Angos sites that inspired many of his works. 399 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:44,239 Speaker 1: We had drinks at the Night Cafe and we are 400 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:47,320 Speaker 1: staying in Saint Remy, which is what Starry Night depicts. Again, 401 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:50,640 Speaker 1: I have to thank you for wonderful hours of entertaining podcast. 402 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:54,120 Speaker 1: We will write again and delivered on that one, says 403 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,000 Speaker 1: Hi again ladies, writing from Rousillon, this time where there 404 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:00,359 Speaker 1: are beautiful hills of red and orange. The village also 405 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:03,840 Speaker 1: minds Ochre mineral deposits used to color paints and makeups, 406 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:07,359 Speaker 1: which we talked about in our History of Cosmetics episode. Uh, 407 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:10,080 Speaker 1: my fan in the color episode, I believe my father 408 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:12,080 Speaker 1: and I have been enjoying your podcast as we drive 409 00:25:12,119 --> 00:25:14,240 Speaker 1: through the countryside. You all make the journey just a 410 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:17,720 Speaker 1: bit more interesting. Uh. And she says, well, write again. 411 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:19,880 Speaker 1: I have not gotten another one, but these are both 412 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:21,600 Speaker 1: so lovely. It's so nice to sort of get to 413 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:24,480 Speaker 1: go on the trip with them and see where they've 414 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:26,760 Speaker 1: been going. And I really I know I say it 415 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 1: all the time, but I feel it always merits saying 416 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:31,199 Speaker 1: it again. I am always so grateful and touched and 417 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:33,000 Speaker 1: honored that people want to take time out of their 418 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:37,439 Speaker 1: vacation to write us a postcard and send it. Uh. 419 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 1: It's incredibly meaningful. It's so kind and thoughtful. So thank you, 420 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:43,480 Speaker 1: thank you, thank you. If you would like to write 421 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:47,000 Speaker 1: to us, you can do so at History Podcast at 422 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:49,159 Speaker 1: how Stuff Works dot com. You can visit us at 423 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,280 Speaker 1: Facebook dot com, slash missed in History, on Twitter at 424 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:55,359 Speaker 1: missed in History at pinterest dot com, slash missed in 425 00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:58,760 Speaker 1: History at missed in History dot tumbler dot com, and 426 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:02,120 Speaker 1: on Instagram at I bet you couldn't guess, Yes, you can. 427 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:04,720 Speaker 1: It's missed in History. If you would like to research 428 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 1: a little bit related to what we talked about today, 429 00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:08,960 Speaker 1: go to our parents site, how stuff Works. Type of 430 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:11,920 Speaker 1: the word asteroid in the search bar, and you will 431 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:14,520 Speaker 1: get an article called how asteroids Work. If you'd like 432 00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:17,679 Speaker 1: to visit Tracy and myself online, you can do that 433 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:20,239 Speaker 1: at miss in history dot com, where you'll find an 434 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:22,840 Speaker 1: archive of every episode of the show ever of all time, 435 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:25,760 Speaker 1: show notes of every episode that Tracy and I have 436 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:28,560 Speaker 1: worked on, the occasional blog posts, and other goodies. So 437 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:31,080 Speaker 1: come and visit us at missed in history dot com 438 00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:38,040 Speaker 1: and how stuff Works dot com for more on this 439 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:40,720 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics. Because it has stuff works, 440 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:40,880 Speaker 1: doat