March 13, 1781, William Herschel made note of an object in
the nighttime sky. He was in his garden, using a homemade 6.2” telescope. He
reported the object was a comet, although it had no tail. After several weeks
of watching his “comet,” William determined the object must be a planet. In recognition
of this momentous discovery, King George III offered a stipend of £200 (roughly
£30,000 in today’s money) as long as William moved to Windsor so the royal
family could enjoy using his telescopes. As the planet’s finder, William was
tasked with choosing a name. He settled on “Georgium Sidus” or “Planet George” to
honor his new patron. The name was more popular in England than elsewhere. It was
argued the other planets – named for Roman gods – sounded more dignified.
Eventually Planet George was renamed for the Greek god of the sky: Ouranos. I
guess Uranus is more distinguished. But George is easier to spell. And pronounce.
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