3 Far-Out Facts About the Discovery of Uranus

The planet Uranus was discovered by William Herschel (1738-1822) on March 13th, 1781.  To celebrate the anniversary of this incredible event, we're sharing 3 of the most "far-out" facts about Uranus' discovery from Mary Kay Carson's Far-Out Guide to Uranus:

Fact#1: Uranus was the first planet to be "discovered" in any modern sense.  Other planets, from Mercury through Saturn, had been observed since ancient times.

Fact# 2: Uranus' Discoverer, William Hershel gave Uranus the Latin name "Georgium Sidus", which means "Georgian Planet."  Herschel did this to honor King George III of England, who was Herschel's patron.  Uranus was not actually named "Uranus" until 1850.

Fact#3: Herschel first observed Uranus on March 13th, 1781, but it took him many repeated observations to confirm that he was not observing a star or comet.

If you'd like to learn more "far-out" facts about Uranus, check out the book they came from: Far-Out Guide to Uranus from Enslow Publisher's award winning "Far-Out Guide to the Solar System" series.

Far-Out Guide to Uranus is available in Library Edition and Paperback, and in Multi-User PDF eBook!

You can also find Far-Out Guide to Uranus through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other booksellers.