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In the year 1859, the French astronomer Urbain Le Verrier discovered some anomalies in the orbit of Mercury. According to Newton’s laws, the planet should describe an ellipse around the Sun.
But when including the gravitational movements of the other planets, an effect is found in which the displacement does not remain static in space, but begins to rotate.
This phenomenon is known as advance of perihelion and can be calculated with the Newtonian theory of gravity.
Obtaining a result of 531 seconds of arc per siglo, it can be said in another way, that from the perihelion of Mercury there is a complete return to the Sun every 244,000 years.
Sin embargo, Le Verrier’s observations did not agree with the prediction, since perihelion went 8% faster than what was established.
Therefore, the scientist affirmed that it was due to the influence of a planet that had not yet been detected, which he named Vulcano.
After many searches, the astronomers came to the conclusion that such a planet did not exist and the discrepancy of 43 seconds of arc per century remained as something normal.
This fact formed part of one of the tests that managed to endorse Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
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