Des premiers travaux de Le Verrier à la découverte de Neptune

Abstract

(in english): Urbain-Jean-Joseph Le Verrier was born in Saint-Lô on March 11, 1811. He entered the Ecole Polytechnique in 1831, from which he was to emerge 8th two years later. After first devoting himself to chemistry, in 1836 he obtained a position as an astronomy assistant at the Ecole Polytechnique. This choice will decide his future career which culminates with the discovery of Neptune in 1846. Le Verrier wrote more than 200 contributions in the Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences. These contributions are very varied: some original articles but also reports on publications published elsewhere, sometimes even simple notes of a single page. The whole set gives a very vivid vision of the development of the science of the XIXth century. At that time, the Comptes Rendus are really a reflection of the debates of the sessions of the Academy. They are published very quickly, and leave a large freedom of speech to the authors. They are therefore a snapshot of the sometimes lively polemics which animated the sessions of the Academy of Sciences. In this limited essay, we will look to the first years of the career of Le Verrier until the discovery of Neptune. (in french) Le Verrier a écrit plus de 200 contributions dans les Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences . Ces contributions sont le reflet des débats des séances de l'Académie. Ils sont publiés très rapidement, et laissent une très grande liberté de parole aux auteurs. On y retrouve de manière instantanée les polémiques parfois vives qui ont animé les séances de l'Académie des sciences. Dans cet essai nous survolerons les premières années de la carrière de Le Verrier jusqu'à la découverte de Neptune.