French mathematician who specialized in celestial mechanics (1811–1877) best known for his part in the discovery of Neptune. ALS in French, signed “U. Le Verrier,” one page both sides, 5.25 x 8, September 24, [1846]. Letter to astronomer Francois Arago, in full (translated): "In case you believed, according to the papers of A. [Angleterre, i.e. England] and others that Neptune is lost, I am sending to you, by mail, 6 copies of the reply that I gave to these despicable characters. I also sent 4 copies of the reply to your college’s director. Let me know as soon as possible whether these two packages actually arrived. If you had been in Paris, you would have had pleasure in seeing the battle at the Academie des Sciences, as I won it." He adds a postscript: “Much love to your brother. When will you come back here? If you want more copies, I can send you more copies." In fine condition, with writing showing through from opposing sides. Le Verrier’s quest to discover Neptune began while trying to make sense of irregularities in Uranus’s orbital path, which he believed could only be explained by the gravitational force of an unknown planet farther away. He presented these findings in late 1845, but many colleagues became skeptical—the “despicable characters” he mentions here—after astronomers spent months searching to no avail. He refined his calculations and presented a new paper to the Academie des Sciences on August 31, 1846, which is presumably the publication he references. Steadfast in his convictions and confident in his math, Le Verrier insisted that he was correct about the existence of Neptune. Unbeknownst to Le Verrier at the time of writing, it was on this very day—September 24, 1846—that his Berlin associate Johann Galle had at last spotted the planet in the night sky. Le Verrier had correctly predicted the location of Neptune within a remarkable margin of less than one degree. Though still not without his detractors, Le Verrier became famous overnight, and the discovery was hailed as an enormous achievement. Pre-certified PSA/DNA.
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