d only have singular circumstances, for it was not due to an astronomer and the marvelous telescopewas not the work of an optician; it is Mr. Herschel, a [German] musician, to whom we owe the knowledge of this seventh principal planet.' (Hunt, 35)Four years passed before Uranus was recognized as a new planet, the first to be discovered in 'modern' times. The discovery poses an interesting question however. Why Herschel and not someone like Cassini - a director of a prominent Observatory?It was by no accident that he discovered the first new planet. William Herschel had more than a passing fancy for the telescope. By purchasing the materials and even grinding the lenses himself, he built telescopes (namely reflectors) of exceptional quality for the time period. That same quality afforded Herschel better observational conditions than his contemporaries, and the result was a changed view of astronomy. A new planet had been discovered, and our view of the solar system was never to be the same again.The atmosphere and geology of the first new planet is fascinating. Uranus is primarily composed of rock and various ices; with only about 15% hydrogen and a little helium - in contrast to the compositions of Jupiter and Saturn, which are mostly hydrogen. Uranus' average temperature is around 60 Kelvin (- 350 degrees Fahrenheit) and the atmosphere is made of 83% hydrogen, 15% helium and 2% methane. The blue color we often see is the result of absorption of red light absorbed by methane in the upper atmosphere. There may be colored bands like Jupiter's but they are hidden from view by the overlaying methane layer. Just below the clouds visible to earthbound observers are enormous quantities of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and water. Still deeper inside Uranus, under the crushing weight of the overlying atmosphere, is an invisible rocky surface - discovered only by its subtle tugs on the planet's moons. A big Earth-sized planet is hiding dow...
