The night sky on the night of the discovery of Neptune — 23 September 1846
On the night of 23 September 1846 Johann Galle and Heinrich d'Arrest at the Berlin Observatory pointed their telescope where the French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier had calculated an unseen planet should be. Within about an hour they found a star that was not on their chart. It was Neptune — the first planet found by mathematical prediction.
The sky over Berlin Observatory, Germany
This is the real sky above Berlin Observatory, Germany (52.50°N, 13.40°E) on 23 September 1846 at 23:00 Berlin local mean time (UTC+0:54) that night (1846-09-23 22:06 UTC). The Sun was 37° below the horizon: it was full night. The Moon (waxing crescent, 10% lit) was below the horizon. Planets above the horizon: Jupiter (17° in the east) and Saturn (22° in the south). Brightest named stars up: Vega, Capella, Altair, Aldebaran and Fomalhaut.
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