by Tom Standage
First published 2000
When brilliant mathematician John Couch Adams spots a report on the erratic orbit of Uranus, he realizes another unseen planet must be causing it. Racing against a rival French astronomer, Adams calculates the location of this mysterious world - and his bold prediction is proven correct when Neptune is found exactly where he said it would be. This gripping tale of scientific rivalry and triumph pioneered a new era of "planet hunting" by calculation rather than just observation.
Genres: 20th-century, adventure, biography-memoir, astronomy, 19th-century, academic
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: rivals-to-lovers, triumph-of-the-underdog
Setting: Neptune (Planet), Neptune (Planète)
Period: 19th-century
256 pages · Hardcover · Walker Books