Abstract
THE account by Prof. W. M. Smart of the discovery of Neptune, of which a summary was published in Nature for November 9, depicts the part played by G. B. Airy, the Astronomer Royal, in a most unfavourable light. He describes the treatment of Adams by Airy as “unbecoming to the leading astronomer of his generation”. Prof. Smart's verdict is not, in my opinion, justified, and I feel that, for the sake of historical accuracy, a reply is needed.
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JONES, H. G. B. Airy and the Discovery of Neptune. Nature 158, 829–830 (1946). https://doi.org/10.1038/158829a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/158829a0
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