13 March 1781
Waning Gibbous, 82% lit
The first new planet in recorded history
William Herschel found Uranus from his back garden in Bath and initially reported it as a comet.
Everyone before him had inherited the same six planets. He wanted to name it after George III, which the rest of Europe declined to accept. He was a working musician and the telescope was a hobby.
- Date
- 13 March 1781
- Moon computed for
- 22:00 local time, UTC−0:10
- Phase
- Waning Gibbous
- Illuminated
- 82%
Source: Herschel, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. (1781)