Hypothetical Planet Day - March 26

On this date in 1859 it was believed that a planet was spotted inside the orbit of Mercury by Edmond Modeste Lescarbault, an amateur astronomer. This "observation" was taken seriously by scientists like Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier, who had a theory explaining eccentricities of Mercury's orbit that required just such a planet. These eccentricities were later explained by Einstein's theory of relativity, which also ruled out any planet inside Mercury's orbit.

This alleged planet was given the name Vulcan, which made a certain amount of sense since a planet that close to the sun would no doubt be pretty toasty.

As we've explored the solar system, other planets destroyed (Phaeton) or beyond Neptune have also been hypothesized. Today is a day to recognize that while striving to understand our universe we sometimes make mistakes.

By Lith. of E. Jones & G.W. Newman - Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3180.ct003790, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60463865


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