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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Letter, from Sir John Herschel to William Samuel Stratford, dated at 37 Tavistock Place

Reference number: HS/17/101

Date: 4 May 1847

Description

Autograph letter signed by sender. Approves naming the new planet Neptune and continued designation of John Frederick William Herschel's father's planet as Uranus. Suggests reasons and alternatives.

Reference number
HS/17/101
Earliest possible date
4 May 1847
Page extent
2 pages
Format
Manuscript
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Creator name

John Frederick William Herschel

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Citation

John Frederick William Herschel, Letter, from Sir John Herschel to William Samuel Stratford, dated at 37 Tavistock Place, 4 May 1847, HS/17/101, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/hs_17_101/letter-from-sir-john-herschel-to-william-samuel-stratford-dated-at-37-tavistock-place, accessed on 13 September 2026

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https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/hs_17_101/letter-from-sir-john-herschel-to-william-samuel-stratford-dated-at-37-tavistock-place

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  • Herschel Letters

    This collection of nearly 10,900 letters, drafts, copies and notes is the largest repository of scientific correspondence from and to Sir John Herschel, leading figure of Victorian science.

    Dates: 1807 - 1875

    View collection