Historical Example: Vulcan

Short historical example based on The Hunt for Vulcan. Aim to show the triumph of centuary physics between seventeenth and nineteenth centuries in describing the movements of the Solar System and predicting a prevoiusly unknown planet. This success game participants and wider observers confidence in the methods of Astronomers, Physicsists and Scientists. The problem of Vulcan was seen as ultimately surmountable, even if temporarily problematic.

Scientific Context

Evolution of emprically successful models of Solar System over seventeenth and eighteenth century with mathematical advances - ADD NAMES.

Previous anomoly in observation of Uranus's orbit resolved by prediction of Neptune (DATES?). Successful prediction promoted confidence in Newton's Laws of Gravitation (cf Principia) and development of mathematical techniques capable of accurate predictive calculations (ADD NAMES).

Anomoly in Mercury's orbit invites the the same solution: prediction of an unseen planet named Vulcan.

Confidence in mathematical techniques and strategy of prediction was coupled with multiple reported sightings, though few confirmations. Immanent discovery seemd certain.

Resolution of Dispute

A mission was made to North America to observe the Sun during an eclipse (DATE) - an earlier mission in Europe failed due to cloudy weather (DATE). It was expected that during an eclipse (in the absence of the daylight's glare) it would be possible to observe the reflection of sunlight for any large objects close to the Sun, where Vulcun was expected.

Though one participant claimed to have made the observation the final result of the trip was a null result - the observation was not made, and confidence in the Vulcan hypothesis was diminished. An alternative theory was that there was a cluster of smaller objects, rather that a single large planetary mass.

Both hypotheses stumbled on but without the previous enthusiasm.

Revolution After Resolution

Einstein's breakthroughs (DATES) dissolved the problem of Mercury's anomolous orbit at the cost of the prevoius paradigm. A conceptual leap from Newton's Gravitational Theory was made to Einstein's space-time bending relativistic ontology.