Questions From Readers

● In the book “Things in Which It Is Impossible for God to Lie,” why does it state that the planet Pluto was discovered because of its effects on the planets Uranus and Saturn? Is not Neptune closer to Pluto than Saturn is?—L. P., U.S.A.

This is not a point that is dealt with in the Bible, but the Bible textbook referred to above simply uses it to illustrate the fact that the existence of something not visible to the human eye can be proved by effects that it causes.

In the book “Things in Which It Is Impossible for God to Lie” it is stated regarding Pluto, on page 11: “It was first discovered in the year 1930. However, the existence of Pluto was suspected back in 1905. Why? Because of its influence that produced certain effects upon the planets Uranus and Saturn. It came to be called Planet X. By making scientific calculations according to those effects it was made possible to locate the position of this planet about 3,680,000,000 miles distant from our sun, so as finally to train a telescope of sufficient strength upon it and photograph it. Thus by an astronomer’s prediction and by twenty-five years of research, this yellowish planet Pluto was proved to exist.”

Some inquirers have expressed the thought that Pluto’s existence was suspected because of its effects on the planets Uranus and Neptune, not Uranus and Saturn, which is more distant from Pluto than Neptune is. As it is, certain books on astronomy provide this information: Astronomers predicted the path of Uranus; however, it failed to keep to the predicted orbit. This led to studies and the discovery of the planet Neptune. Yet it was found that Neptune’s gravitational pull did not fully account for the fact that Uranus did not keep to its calculated path. Furthermore, vagaries were noted in the motion of Neptune itself. This prompted further research, photographic studies of the heavens and the discovery of Pluto in 1930.—See The Encyclopædia Britannica, 1959 edition, Vol. 18, page 92; 1001 Questions Answered About Astronomy, by James S. Pickering, pages 66, 67, 69.

However, the following interesting statement by Dr. S. A. Mitchell, Director of the Leander McCormick Observatory, University of Virginia, appears in The Americana Annual of 1932, page 79: “A quarter of a century ago it began to be apparent that both Uranus and Saturn departed from their calculated orbits more than could be accounted for by the pertubations of Neptune. Many investigators attacked the problem, including in America, Percival Lowell and W. H. Pickering . . . ”

Because of queries received on this subject, an inquiry was directed to the Americana Corporation in New York City, questioning the accuracy of the statement just quoted. The Senior Editor of The Encyclopedia Americana replied: “A colleague, who is well read in modern astronomy texts, tells me that Dr. Mitchell’s statement is correct and the facts are similarly stated in many texts. He adds: ‘Before its discovery, the existence of Neptune was suspected due to the perturbations of Saturn and Uranus. After Neptune was discovered, it was found that the forces (gravitational) did not account for the total perturbations of Saturn and Uranus—some other planetary body was influencing their orbits. From these data, the position of ninth planet, Pluto, was calculated.’”

It might be observed in passing that it is usually desirable to go back to a source of information that is quite close to an occurrence. Contemporary scientists, historians or spokesmen are in touch with the actual circumstances themselves and are generally in a better position to provide reliable information regarding what has taken place in their own time. Hence, we found it practical to use as a source of information on the discovery of Pluto in 1930 The Americana Annual of 1932.

In view of the foregoing information, then, it is not without basis that the book “Things in Which It Is Impossible for God to Lie” says on page 11: “The existence of Pluto was suspected back in 1905. Why? Because of its influence that produced certain effects upon the planets Uranus and Saturn.”