on this day: january 2nd

165 years ago - 1860, New Planet Discovered!(...?)

It was the age of Newtonian Physics. Close observations of Mercury (the planet closest to the Sun) revealed unexplained abnormalities in its orbit. This led some to hypothesize that a hitherto undiscovered planet existed between Mercury and the Sun, and sure enough on this day in 1860 it was declared that the suspected planet had indeed been observed. Named "Vulcan" after the Roman God of Fire, this "planet" was unfortunately never seen again. The discrepancies in Mercury's orbit have now been explained by Einstein's Theory of Relativity, and the "discovery" of Vulcan has been discounted as an error, thus joining it in the ranks of other dismissed hypothetical Solar System objects like Planet X, Nemesis, and Counter-Earth. (sigh)