Bode's Law
Created | Updated May 18, 2005
This was a law of planetary distances current in the early nineteenth century. According to this law, the planetary distances can be obtained by the application of a numerical series. The first number in the series is 0.4, the second the product of 0.3 + 0.4, the third the product of 2 x 0.3 + 0.4, the fourth the product of 2² x 0.3 + 0.4, the fifth the product of 2³ x 0.3 + 0.4 and so on. So, assuming a figure of 1.0 for Earth, the planetary distances would be:
Mercury 0.4 au
Venus 0.7
Earth 1.0
Mars 1.6
x 2.8
Jupiter 5.2
Saturn 10.0
Uranus 19.6.
These distances correspond fairly well to observation. However, according to the table of distances, there should be a planet between Mars and Jupiter. In 1801, a team of astronomers led by J E Bode discovered in the space between Mars and Jupiter large numbers of asteroids, the largest of which is Ceres, perhaps the remains of a planet.
Uranus was in fact discovered after the rule was published by Bode, but sadly, or perhaps not, Neptune and Pluto buck the trend. Neptune should come in at 38.8, but in fact lies at approximately 30.1, while Pluto is predicted at 77.2, and lies at 39.5. Large discrepancies.
One of the most interesting things about Bode's law is the fact that Hegel disputed it on the grounds that the numerical rule was meaningless, and accidental.
Mercury 0.4 au
Venus 0.7
Earth 1.0
Mars 1.6
x 2.8
Jupiter 5.2
Saturn 10.0
Uranus 19.6.
These distances correspond fairly well to observation. However, according to the table of distances, there should be a planet between Mars and Jupiter. In 1801, a team of astronomers led by J E Bode discovered in the space between Mars and Jupiter large numbers of asteroids, the largest of which is Ceres, perhaps the remains of a planet.
Uranus was in fact discovered after the rule was published by Bode, but sadly, or perhaps not, Neptune and Pluto buck the trend. Neptune should come in at 38.8, but in fact lies at approximately 30.1, while Pluto is predicted at 77.2, and lies at 39.5. Large discrepancies.
One of the most interesting things about Bode's law is the fact that Hegel disputed it on the grounds that the numerical rule was meaningless, and accidental.
